••    : 


IARY 

ERSITY 
DRNIA 

Room 

eckman 


?    J. 


npe  me  Sir,  for  Intruding  upon  yon. 


GET   MONEY. 


BT 

MRS.  L.  C.  TUTHILL, 

AUTHOR    OF     "TIP     TOP,'       ".QUEER     BONNETS,"     ETC. 


"GOLD!  THE  WORST  POISON  TO  THE  SOUL." 


NEW   YORK: 
OHAELES    SCRIBNER, 

877  AND  879  BROADWAY, 

1858. 


ENTERED  according   to   Act  of  Congress,  in    the    year   1858,  by 

CHARLES     SCRIBNER, 
In  ttv  O  *k'8  Office  or   the  District  Court  for  the  Southern   District  of  New  York. 


W.  H.  TINSON,  Stereotvper.  GKO,  RUSSBLL,  &  Co.,  Printers. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  L 
The  Haunted  House,     .... 


CHAPTER  H. 
Broken  Windows, 14 

CHAPTER  III. 
A  Prepossessing  Bow, 31 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Seeking  Employment, 82 


CHAPTER  V 

A,  Mock  Serenade 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Saucy  Clerk, 


CHAPTER  VIL 

Gardening 


CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER  VIII. 


Morrison  Ferguson,      ..... 
CHAPTER  IX. 


Burglars, 


CHAPTER  X. 
The  Boston  Merchant,  ..........  10 

CHAPTER  XL 
A  Surprise,    ............  118 

CHAPTER  XII. 
The  Stove  Bank,  ...........  12° 


CHAPTER 

The  Usurer's  Generosity, 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
Phineas  Shanby,  ...........  181 


CHAPTER  XV. 
The  Confidential  Clerk,        .........  185 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Idelette  Scofield,  ...........  14S 

CHAPTER  XVH. 
The  Sculptor's  Studio,  .       .       .       .......  1B6 

CHAPTER  XVIU. 
Courage  and  Bravado,         .........  l**8 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
The  Handsome  Young  Man,        ........  173 


CONTENTS.  V 

CHAPTER  XX. 

PAGE 

Temptation,  ............  180 


CHAPTER 
News  from  a  Whaler,  ..........  185 

CHAPTER  XXH. 
The  Double  Birthday,  ..........  189 

CHAPTER  XXTTT. 
Hand-Writing,       ...........  204 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
A  Hasty  Ejectment,     ..........  216 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
A  Pleasant  Vacation,  ..........  221 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 
A  Long  Sea  Voyage 229 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
Dandy  Dan, ....236 

CHAPTER  XXVIIL 
A  Wanderer's  Return, 246 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
'A  Noble  Friend, 252 

CHAPTER  XXX. 
The  Gambler's  Death-bed, 259 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

A  Change  in  Character,       .... 


CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER  XXXIL 


PAGE 


Calcutta,       ............  266 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 


A  Friend's  Arrival, 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
Partnership, 27T 


GET    MONEY. 


CHAPTEE  I. 

THE     HAUNTED     HOUSE. 

"On,  Anna!  As  I  was  coming  by  the 
haunted  house  this  evening,  I  saw  a  light 
there." 

"  Did  you  ?    "What  kind  of  a  light  was  it  ?" 

"  A  blue  one — dancing  about  from  room  to 
room,  in  a  most  mysterious  manner." 

The  eager  listener,  a  young  girl  twelve  or 
thirteen  years  old,  grew  pale  with  fear.  The 
first  speaker,  her  brother,  two  years  older — 
continued  in  a  whisper — "  Anna,  do  you  be 
lieve  in  ghosts  ?" 

The  room  in  which  the  brother  and  sister 
were  sitting,  was  a  handsome,  cheerful  looking 
parlor.  They  had  drawn  their  chairs  near 


8  GET   MONEY. 

to  the   hearth,  on  which  a  bright   wood-lire 
was  blazing. 

Though  it  was  the  first  of  May,  the  even 
ings  were  chilly  in  that  latitude — the  latitude 
of  Boston. 

There  was  no  other  light  in  the  room  but 
the  nickering  one  from  the  fire,  which  cast 
loDg  fantastic  shadows  on  the  ceiling. 

"  Say,  Anna,  do  you  believe  in  ghosts  ?" 

"  Don't  ask  me  that  question,  Morrison  ? 
Why,  I  am  afraid  to  pass  the  Haunted  House 
alone,  even  in  the  day-time." 

"  Is  there  not  a  strange  light  in  this  room 
now?"  whispered  Morrison,  casting  his  eye 
over  his  shoulder.  "  Look  at  those  hideous 
figures  on  the  wall." 

"  Don't,  don't,  brother.  I  can  scarcely 
breathe.  Oh,  light  the  lamp — do,  quick !" 
exclaimed  Anna,  holding  her  hands  tightly 
over  her  eyes. 

Morrison  hastily  lighted  an  astral  lamp  on 
the  centre-table. 

"  What  a  silly  little  girl  you  are  to  believe 
in  ghosts  !  Take  your  hands  away  from  your 
eyes.  What  do  you  expect  to  see  here,  in 
our  own  pleasant  home  ?" 

"  Oh,  you  are  brave  enough  now,  brother," 
said  Anna,  timidly  opening  her  eyes,  "very 


THE    HAUNTED    HOUSE.  9 

brave  with  that  bright  light  in  the  room;  just 
now,  you  were  as  frightened  as  I  was ;  when 
you  saw  those  strange  figures  on  the  wall,  you 
shuddered  with  fear.  And  when  you  talked 
about  the  light  in  the  Haunted  House,  you 
trembled  like  a  leaf." 

"That's  quite  another  thing;  you  know, 
ever  since  the  murder  of  old  Nollins,  strange 
noises  have  been  frequently  heard  there,  and 
most  mysterious  lights  have  flitted  about  the 
house." 

"  Don't,  don't,  for  pity's  sake !"  exclaimed 
Anna,  stopping  her  ears  as  resolutely  as  she 
had  her  eyes  a  few  moments  before  ;  "  I  can't 
bear  to  think  of  the  poor  old  miser." 

u~Why,  you  little  fool,  what  is  going  to 
hurt  you  ?"  demanded  Morrison,  fiercely, 
as  he  forced  away  Anna's  hands  from  her 
ears. 

Morrison  had  grown  very  brave  since  the 
lamp  was  lighted. 

"  You  are  as  great  a  coward  as  I  am  any 
day,  Morrison  ;  you  needn't  pretend  you  are 
not  afraid  of  ghosts." 

"  Coward !  who  dares  to  call  me  coward  ? 
If  you  were  a  boy,  now,  I  would  knock  you 
down  for  it.  As  it  is,  I  have  a  good  mind  to 
give  you  a  shaking." 


10  GET   MONEY. 

"  Hark !  there  comes  papa.  Take  your 
hands  off." 

Morrison  hastily  obeyed,  for  Mr.  Ferguson 
was  already  at  the  door. 

A  tall,  thin  gentleman  entered,  dressed  in 
black.  His  high,  narrow  forehead  was  partly 
shaded  by  straight  hair,  slightly  inclined  to 
grey.  His  keen,  small  eyes  peered  out  from 
beneath  shaggy  eyebrows,  and  his  thin  lips 
were  pressed  tightly  over  long,  straggling 
teeth,  while  his  chin  retreated  towards  the 
neck  at  an  angle  of  forty -five  degrees. 

"  Oh,  papa !  I  am  so  glad  to  see  you  !"  ex 
claimed  Anna,  drawing  a  chair  to  the  fireside, 
and  bringing  her  own  very  near  to  it.  "  So 
glad  I" 

Morrison  ahem'd  and  winked,  and  shook 
his  head  and  his  fist,  too,  at  his  sister ;  but  in 
spite  of  these  menacing  hints,  she  went 
on : 

"  Oh,  papa,  brother  says  he  saw  awful  blue 
lights  dancing  around  all  the  rooms  of  the 
.Haunted  House  this  evening." 

"  The  blue  must  have  been  in  Morrison's 
eyes,  for  I  saw  the  light,  and  it  was  red." 

"  Then  you  did  see  the  lights  there  I"  ex 
claimed  both  Morrison  and  Anna. . 

"  I  did." 


THE   HAUNTED   HOUSE.  11 

"  And  what  do  you  think  it  was  ?" 

"  A  tallow  candle." 

"  Now,  papa,  you  are  joking." 

"  Not  at  all.  It  was  a  small  tallow  candle 
— perhaps  a  mould — perhaps  a  dip — carried 
about  by  a  boy  about  your  age  and  size,  Mor 
rison." 

"  Now,  papa,  indeed  you  are  joking." 

"  Certainly  not.  I  received  an  application 
for  the  house  this  very  morning,  from  a  young 
lad  who  said  he  had  a  mother  and  a  sister,  for 
whom  he  wished  to  provide  a  comfortable 
home,  and  he  must  find  one  immediately. 
He  had  seen  this  house  advertised  and  wished 
to  look  at  it.  I  immediately  came  out  here 
with  him,  and  in  an  hour  from  the  time  I  first 
saw  him  the  bargain  was  completed.  He  is 
there  now  with  his  sister  arranging  some  fur 
niture,  which  had  already  arrived  at  one  of 
the  wharfs." 

"  What  is  his  name,  papa?" 

"  Let  me  see  ;  here  is  his  name,  in  fine, 
manly  hand-writing.  Lewis  Lenning !"  said 
Mr.  Ferguson,  passing  the  lease  of  the  house 
to  Morrison. 

"  Taken  a  lease  of  the  Haunted  House  for 
a  year,  and  paid  ten  dollars  in  advance ! 
Good !"  exclaimed  Morrison. 


12  GET   MONEY. 

"  But  does  he  know  poor  old  Nollins  was 
murdered  there,  and  that  the  house  is  haunt 
ed?"  asked  Anna,  with  uplifted  hands,  and 
her  blue  eyes  as  wide  open  as  a  full-blown 
sunflower. 

"  Nonsense  !  Nobody  knows  that  Nollina 
was  murdered.  Even  supposing  he  had  been, 
I  hope  you  are  not  so  weak  and  credulous  as 
to  believe  in  ghosts.  It  is  too  absurd.  On 
no  account  mention  these  ridiculous  stories  to 
my  tenant.  The  house,  a  long  time  ago,  may 
have  been  searched  for  the  money  the  miser 
was  supposed  to  have  left  there,  but  by  this 
time  it  is  quite  forgotten.  You  must  confess, 
my  son,  that  you  were  very  cowardly  to 
night  when  your  imagination  converted  an 
honest  tallow  candle  into  a  blue,  supernatural 
light." 

"Yes,  Morrison,  that  was  too  funny — how 
the  tallow  dip  danced  about,"  said  Anna, 
laughing  heartily. 

"You  need  not  laugh,  miss,"  retorted  Mor 
rison;  "you  were  frightened  half  out  of  your 
simple  wits  yourself,  just  now,  at  your  own 
shadow  on  the  wall." 

"Hush,  children,  don't  quarrel.  You  both 
must  perceive  the  folly  of  creating  bug-bears 
of  the  imagination.  Let  me  hear  no  more  of 


THE   HAUNTED   HOUSE.  13 

this  weak  superstition.     There   goes   the  tea 
bell." 

They  immediately  adjourned  to  the  dining- 
room,  and  all  ghosts  were,  for  the  time,  dis 
pelled  from  their  haunted  brains. 


CHAPTER  II. 

BROKEN      WINDOWS. 

GLAD  was  Lewis  Lenning  to  find  a  shelter 
for  his  loved  ones  at  the  moderate  rate  of  forty 
dollars  per  annum.  And  yet  that  was  a  large 
sum  for  one  who,  at  the  time,  was  worth  but 
fifty  dollars  in  the  world,  one  fifth  of  which 
he  paid  in  advance  for  a  quarter's  rent. 

The  household  furniture,  which  had  been 
saved  from  the  wreck  of  a  former  comfortable 
establishment,  had  arrived  at  this  new  habita 
tion,  and  was  being  hastily  arranged  the  first 
evening ;  at  the  time,  indeed,  when  the  unac 
customed  light  had  been  seen  flitting  and 
flaring  about  the  house. 

Flaring,  indeed,  for  nearly  all  the  panes 
of  glass  had  been  broken  out  by  mischievous 
boys. 

"  How  providential  it  was,  Lewis,  that  this 
house  was  waiting  for  us  !"  exclaimed  Char- 

14 


BEOKEN    WINDOWS.  15 

lotte  Lenning,  in  one  of  the  sweetest  voices 
that  ever  came  from  a  pair  of  cherry  lips. 
Ah,  how  much  there  is  in  a  voice  !  How  the 
tones  of  beloved  ones  linger  in  memory ! 
There  is  something  quite  shocking  in  a  harsh, 
coarse  voice,  coming  from  a  delicate,  sweet- 
looking  girl.  The  voice  of  Charlotte  Lenning 
was  in  perfect  harmony  with  her  delicate, 
refined  countenance. 

"  If  it  wasn't  such  a  dirty  place,  and  riddled 
through  and  through,  as  if  it  had  been  at 
tacked  in  the  Revolutionary  War  !"  exclaimed 
a  stout  servant-girl,  who  was  arranging  beds 
for  the  night.  "  Now,  I  do  declare,  it's  a  mar 
vellous  thing  how  all  this  splashin'  and  dash- 
in'  of  glass  come  about;  there  must  be 
mighty  mischievous,  thievous  boys  about 
here." 

"  Boys  are  apt  to  break  the  windows  of  un 
inhabited  houses,  Polly  ;  you  must  put  up 
some  curtains  at  the  windows.  I  am  sorry 
the  house  is  not  cleaner.  Mr.  Ferguson 
promised  to  have  it  put  in  order,  but  the  time 
was  short,"  said  Lewis. 

"  Just  scraped  off  with  a  hoe,  I  should 
think ;  and  as  for  curtains,  sure  !  we  haven't 
brought  such  rare,  spare  things  as  curtains," 
retorted  Polly. 


16  GET   MONET. 

"  "Well,  blankets,  shawls,  anything  to  keep 
out  the  cold  night  air ;  to-morrow  we  will 
have  the  glass  all  set.  I  am  glad  our  dear 
mother  did  not  come  till  we  could  make  her 
comfortable,"  said  Lewis.  "  I  must  put  up  a 
bedstead  for  you,  Lottie.  Which  room  will 
you  choose?" 

There  were  two  rooms  on  the  first  floor 
besides  the  kitchen  ;  three  on  the  second  floor, 
an  attic  or  garret-room,  and  an  unfinished 
garret. 

"  The  front  room  below  must  be  for  mother's 
bed-room ;  then  she  will  be  near  the  dining- 
room.  It  is  of  no  consequence  which  room  I 
have ;  but  I  should  prefer  the  one  over  the 
dining-room,  if  you  are  willing  to  take  the 
front  room,"  said  Charlotte. 

Lewis  assented,  and  his  sister  added : 

"  Polly,  you  can  take  the  small  room  on  the 
second  floor." 

"  No,  I'll  take  the  attic ;  I  always  like  to 
be  high  and  dry." 

Lewis  Lenning  slept  soundly  till  broad  day 
light.  Not  so  with  the  other  occupants  of  the 
Haunted  House.  Delicate  little  Lottie  had 
been  tenderly  nurtured.  It  was  her  first  ex 
periment  in  sleeping  on  a  straw  mattress.  In 
addition  to  the  uncomfortable  bed,  the  rats 


BROKEN   WINDOWS.  IT 

"  made  such  a  strife  "  to  dislodge  the  intruder 
from  the  premises,  to  which  they  had  the 
previous  right  of  possession,  as  a  lawful  owner 
might  have  done  to  disperse  California  squat 
ters.  The  rats  performed  various  feats  of 
agility  over  her  head,  which  induced  Lottie 
to  hide  herself  beneath  the  bed-covering  until 
she  could  scarcely  breathe.  The  sleepless 
night  seemed  a  whole  month  long,  and  Lot 
tie  was  glad,  indeed,  when  she  heard  Polly 
Potts  descending  from  the  attic,  at  early 
dawn. 

Polly  opened  the  door  of  Charlotte  Len- 
ning's  room,  and  putting  in  her  unkempt 
head,  exclaimed,  "  Are  you  dead  or  alive, 
Miss  Lottie  ?" 

"  Alive   and  well,"   was  the-  cheerful  re- 


"  Well,  now,  I  declare  !  I  thought  the  rats 
had  perhaps  carried  you  off  bodily.  Such  a 
dancin'  and  prancin'  as  they  kept  up  the  live 
long  night,  beats  a  cattle  dance  or  agricul 
tural  ball  all  hollow.  I  threw  a  pair  of 
'tongs  at  one  big  'un,  and  killed  him  stick, 
stock,  stone  dead.  Here  he  is."  And  Polly 
held  up  a  rat  by  the  tail,  and  shook  him  in 
triumph  before  the  wide-open  eyes  of  the 
astonished  Lottie. 

2* 


18  GET   MONEY. 

"Take  him  away — oh,  for  mercy's  sake, 
take  him  away !"  cried  Lottie,  retreating 
under  the  bed-clothes. 

"  He  won't  hurt  you  ;  he's  stark,  dark  dead. 
I  never  thought  before  that  you  could  be 
afraid  of  a  thing  without  life.  As  soon  as  a 
body's  dead  all  harm  has  gone  out  of  it." 

"When  Lewis  and  Lottie  came  down  stairs, 
Polly  had  gathered  chips  and  sticks  for  a 
fire,  and  breakfast  was  all  ready  in  the 
kitchen. 

Lottie  observed  at  a  glance  that  the  table 
was  spread  for  only  two. 

"  Come,  Polly,  where  are  your  cup  and 
saucer  and  plate  ?"  she  asked,  kindly. 

"  After  you  is  manners  for  me,"  replied 
Polly,  as  she  placed  the  tea  on  the  table. 

"  !Nb,-  Polly,  our  circumstances  are  changed, 
we  have  our  table  in  the  kitchen,  and  you  can 
take  breakfast  with  us,"  said  Lewis,  placing  a 
chair  by  the  table. 

"  You  eat  in  the  kitchen  just  this  morning  ; 
I  shall  have  the  dining-room  ready  by  dinner 
time.  If  circumstances  are  changed,  you  and 
Miss  Lottie  are  not,  and  I'm  the  selfsame,  by 
name  and  natnr',  that  I  was  a  year  ago."  So 
saying,  Polly  hastened  out  of  the  kitchen. 

"  Her  nature  is  a  noble  one,"  said  Lewis ; 


BKOKEN   WINDOWS.  19 

"  how  few  persons  are  equally  generous  !  I 
have  done  expecting  generosity,  all  I  ask  now 
from  the  world  is  justice." 

"  And  I  expect  generosity,"  replied  Lottie, 
as  she  poured  out  a  cup  of  tea.  "  Why,  it  is 
a  beautiful  world,  dear  brother,  and  many 
glorious,  chivalric  spirits  yet  remain  in  it. 
Heroes,  and  even  martyrs,  would  spring  up  at 
once,  if  circumstances  called  for  them." 

"  I  look  only  for  the  homely  virtues  of  honesty 
and  justice,  but  I  am  quite  willing  that  your 
romance  should  render  everything  couleur  de 
rose,  especially  in  our  present  rather  sombre 
circumstances." 

"  Why,  Lewis,  dear,  if  a  Washington  were 
now  needed,  do  you  not  think  he  would  come 
forth  for  the  occasion  ?  I  mean  a  man  just 
like  him."  . 

"  I  hardly  think  there  can  ever  be  another 
Washington." 

"  If  our  country  were  in  need  of  a  man 
resembling  him,  some  years  hence,  I  know 
where  that  man  could  be  found,"  remarked 
Lottie,  casting  a  proud  glance  at  her  brother. 

"  Oh,  my  too  partial  sister,  I  shall  never 
answer  your  romantic  expectations.  You 
make  me  blush.  I  have  a  very  common 
place  mind — not  a  particle  of  genius — not  one 


20  GET   MONEY. 

throb  of  ambition.  My  highest  ajm  is  to  be  a 
useful  man,  and  to  be  able  to  provide  for  my 
dear  mother  and  yourself.  By  the  way,  how 
did  you  sleep  last  night,  Lottie  ?" 

"Thank  you — not  particularly  well.  It 
was  a  windy  night,  I  believe." 

"  I  slept  soundly.  No  wonder  you  thought 
it  windy  with  so  many  loop-holes  for  the  wind 
to  come  through.  I  will  go  and  ask  our  land 
lord  to  have  the  panes  of  glass  set  as  soon  as 
possible." 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE     PREPOSSESSING     BOW. 

IMMEDIATELY  after  breakfast,  Lewis  was  on 
his  way  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Ferguson,  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant  from  the  Haunted 
House. 

The  handsome  mansion  stood  in  the  midst 
of  a  beautiful  garden,  and  was  shaded  by 
venerable  elm  and  oak  trees.  Had  Lewis  not 
been  intent  on  one  object,  he  would  have 
lingered  to  admire  the  rich  hyacinths,  jon 
quils,  violets,  and  other  spring  flowers  which 
bordered  the  winding  path  leading  to  the 
house. 

He  rang  at  the  door  like  one,  if  not  assured 
of  a  welcome,  at  least  assured  that  he  had  a 
right  to  ring  there.  A  waiter  showed  Lewis 
to  the  breakfast-room,  where  Mr.  Ferguson 
was  seated  at  table  with  his  two  children. 

"  Excuse  me,  sir,  for  intruding  on  you  at  an 


22  GET  MONET. 

unseasonable  hour,"  said  Lewis,  bowing  polite 
ly,  and  standing  near  the  door  with  his  hat  in 
his  hand. 

"  You  are  excusable,  lad,  if  you  have  urgent 
business.  Wait  a  moment.  Another  cup  of 
coffee,  Anna."  Mr.  Ferguson  tasted  the 
coffee.  "  Another  lump  of  sugar,  Anna." 

Again  he  deliberately  sipped  the  coffee, 
and  then  demanded,  "  What  is  your  business  ? 
I  think  you  are  the  boy  to  whom  I  ventured 
to  let  one  of  my  houses  yesterday.  Your 
name  I  don't  remember." 

"  Lewis  Lenning  is  my  name.  I  have  called 
to  ask  you,  sir,  to  have  the  glass  set  in  the 
windows  of  the  house.  It  seems  to  have  been 
badly  used  while  unoccupied ;  there  is  scarcely 
a  whole  pane  of  glass  left  from  cellar  to 
attic." 

"  Wicked  boys  have  done  it.  I  suppose  I 
shall  be  obliged  to  put  in  the  glass,  though  it 
hardily  seems  fair,  considering  that  you  have 
it,  as  the  saying  is,  for  a  song." 

"  Much  good  will  it  do  to  put  in  the  panes," 
exclaimed  Morrison,  laughing;  "the  boys  will 
smash  them  again  before  a  single  night  is 
over." 

"  Hush  !  hush !  Morrison  ;  now  the  house 
is  tenanted  they  will  let  it  alone." 


THE   PREPOSSESSING  BOW.  23 

"  I  hope  so,"  replied  Lewis ;  "  they  would 
be  wicked,  indeed,  to  throw  stones  where  life 
would  be  endangered  by  it. 

"  Oh,  but  it's  a  haunted  house,"  began 
Morrison,  eagerly. 

"  Nonsense !  nonsense !"  exclaimed  Mr. 
Ferguson,  casting  a  reproving  glance  at  his 
son,  who,  not  having  reverence  any  more 
largely  developed  than  is  common  to  ';  Young 
America,"  took  no  notice  of  the  reproof  and 
went  on  rapidly : 

"  Yes,  a  haunted  house ;  everybody  knows 
it  has  been  haunted  ever  since  old  Collins 
was  murdered  there  for  his  money." 

"There  is  an  absurd  prejudice  against  the 
house,  because  a  poor  old  miser  died  there  in 
his  bed  four  or  five  years  ago." 

"Died!  Why,  father,  wasn't  he  mur 
dered?"  asked  .Anna. 

"There  is  no  other  reason  for  supposing  it, 
excepting  that  no  money  was  found  in  the 
house  after  his  death.  The  jury  of  inquest 
gave  in  their  verdict,  "  Accidental  Death." 

"  Some  persons  have  died  in  almost  every 
house ;  we  do  not  on  that  account  fear  to  live 
in  houses,"  replied  Lewis. 

"  But  if  a  man  had  been  murdered  in  a 


24:  GET   MONEY. 

house,  would  you  not  then  fear  to  live  in  it  ?" 
inquired  Anna. 

"  ISTo,  miss.  Why  should  I  be  afraid  to  live 
in  it,  unless  there  were  the  same  reasons  for 
my  being  murdered  2" 

"  Because,  you  know,  the  ghosts  of  the  mur 
dered  appear  in  the  place  where  the  murder 
was  committed,"  replied  Anna,  shuddering. 

"  I  wonder  who  has  filled  your  poor  little 
head  with  such  absurd  notions!  Do  not 
trouble  the  lad  with  them,  Anna,"  said  Mr. 
Ferguson,  reprovingly. 

"  The  superstitious  notions  do  not  trouble 
me,  but  the  broken  panes  do ;  will  you  have 
the  kindness,  sir,  to  see  that  they  are  mended 
immediately  ?" 

"  It  shall  be  done  this  very  day  ;  you  are  a 
brave  boy;  but  will  not  your  sister  be 
alarmed  if  she  should  hear  these  idle  re 
ports?" 

"  No,  sir,  she  has  been  taught  to  fear  God, 
and  to  keep  his  commandments ;  and  I  believe 
such  is  her  love  for  her  Heavenly  Father,  and 
so  strong  her  trust  in  Him,  that  she  has  not 
this  vague  fear  of  the  supernatural."  This  was 
said  by  Lewis  Lenning  with  such  perfect 
simplicity  and  earnestness,  as  quite  to  sur- 


THE  PREPOSSESSING  BOW.  25 

prise  Mr.  Ferguson  and  his  children,  who  had 
not  been  taught  to  "  fear  God." 

"Well,  well,  I  hope  you  are  an  honest  lad, 
and  I  will  do  what  I  can  to  make  the  house 
tenantable.  You  may  go  now,"  said  Mr.  Fer 
guson,  waving  his  hand  towards  the  door, 
near  which  Lewis  had  all  the  while  been 
standing. 

"  Good  morning,  sir."  Lewis  bowed  to 
Mr.  Ferguson,  and  then  to  Anna  and  Morri 
son,  politely  bidding  them  "  good  morning," 
while  they  only  stared,  and  slightly  and 
awkwardly  nodded  to  him. 

"  Morrison,  I  would  give  fifty  dollars  this 
minute  if  you  could  make  such  a  bow  as 
that,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Ferguson,  as  soon  as  the 
door  closed  upon  Lewis. 

"Why  so,  father?  I  didn't  see  anything 
remarkable  in  the  bow ;  I  don't  believe  the 
boy  has  ever  been  to  dancing-school  in  his 
life,"  tartly  replied  Morrison. 

"  No ;  that  was  not  a  dancing-school  bow, 
but  it  is  one  which  will  make  the  boy's  for 
tune.  You  know  'manners  make  the  man.' 
I  had  not  intended  to  do  anything  towards  re 
pairing  the  troublesome  old  house,  for  I  let  it 
for  a  song ;  but  I  could  not  resist  that  bow. 
It  seemed  to  say,  *  I  know  you  are  an  honorable 
3 


26  GET   MONEY. 

man,  and  will  do  what  is  right.'  The  lad  has 
uncommon  self-respect,  as  well  as  respect  for 
his  superiors.  I  shall  go  to  the  house  at  once, 
and  attend  to  the  matter." 

Mr.  Ferguson  had  not  mistaken  the  expres 
sion  of  the  bow  made  by  the  boy  when  he 
entered  the  room,  though  some  doubt  might 
have  crept  into  the  mind  of  Lewis  Lenning, 
as  he  stood  there,  with  regard  to  the  polite 
ness  of  the  gentleman  who  allowed  him  to  stand 
for  so  long  a  time,  while  he  leisurely  sipped 
his  coffee,  and  deliberately  took  breakfast. 
There  is  much  meaning  in  the  different  modes 
of  this  common  salutation,  and  frequently  it 
reveals  character.  In  this  case,  it  certainly 
did.  Lewis  Lenning's  manners  were  the 
result  of  good  sense  and  good  feeling,  and 
therefore  his  bow  was  polite  and  respectful. 

There  is  the  surly  nod  of  an  ill-natured  boy ; 
the  sheepish  dropping  of  the  head  of  a  silly 
boy ;  the  low,  cringing  stoop  of  a  mean  fel 
low  ;  the  saucy  bobbing  of  an  impudent  fel 
low ;  the  throwing  back  of  the  head  of  a 
proud,  self-sufficient  boy.  Lewis  Lenning's 
bow  bore  no  resemblance  to  any  of  these. 
Even  the  waiter,  who  showed  him  out,  though 
he  could  not  have  told  why,  was  perfectly 
satisfied  with  it,  when  made  to  himself,  and 


THE   PKEPOSSESSING    BOW.  27 

went  back  from  the  front  door  to  the  break 
fast-room  thinking,  "  That  young  lad  is  more 
politer  than  Mr.  Ferguson,  who  did  not  ask 
him  to  take  a  seat,  and  a  thousand  times  more 
politer  nor  Master  Morrison.  I  shouldn't 
wonder  if  he  was  a  rael  gintleman." 

When  Lewis  reached  his  new  home,  he  was 
quite  surprised  to  find  the  small,  front  parlor 
already  assuming  a  habitable  appearance. 
Polly  had  nailed  down  a  cheap,  but  very  neat 
carpet,  and  placed  chairs,  bureau  and  table  in 
the  room,  and  now  wanted  him  to  assist  her  in 
putting  up  the  best  bedstead — an  old-fashion-' 
ed,  carved,  mahogany  one,  with  high  posts, 
which  Polly  had  ever  viewed  with  an  emotion 
akin  to  veneration. 

Lottie  placed  on  the  mantel-shelf  two  plated 
candlesticks,  and  a  small  china  vase,  saying, 
"  I  shall  keep  mother's  vase  filled  with  flowers 
through  the  season,  for  the  wild  flowers  grow 
here  even  by  the  wayside.  Who  is  it,  Lewis, 
that  compares  unexpected  pleasures  to  way 
side  flowers,  from  seeds  scattered  by  chance?" 

"  I  don't  remember  exactly—- 1  think,  how 
ever,  it  was  Dr.  Johnson." 

"  It  was  a  pretty  comparison.  Don't  you 
think,  brother,  we  might  always  find  com 
parisons  with  natural  objects,  pretty  and  ap- 


28  GET  MONEY. 

propriate,  for  all  the  little  events  of  life,  even 
every  day  life,  if  our  imaginations  were  cul 
tivated  as  they  ought  to  be." 

"  I  never  should,  Lottie.  Now,  the  cord 
ing  up  of  this  bedstead  suggests  nothing  to  me 
but  bruised  fingers." 

"  It  suggests  to  me  the  love  that  is  willing 
to  suffer  for  the  loved  one ;  the  bruised  ver 
bena  which  gives  out  its  fragrance  to  the  one 
who  crushes  it." 

"  Eather  far  fetched,  Lottie  dear,  and  not 
exactly  appropriate." 

Polly  brought  down  a  looking-glass,  and  as 
she  was  hanging  it,  said  : 

"There  now,  all  is  handy-dandy  for  our 
Miss  Lenning  when  she  comes,  and  I  know 
she  won't  speer  and  jeer  at  the  room,  because 
it's  not  as  smart  as  what  she's  accustomed  to." 

There  was  a  loud  rap  at  the  door.  It  was 
Mr.  Ferguson,  whom  Polly  showed  into  the 
parlor  bed-room  with  much  mock  ceremony, 
and  half  a  dozen  short  courtesies. 

Lewis  introduced  Mr.  Ferguson  to  Char 
lotte,  and  then  politely  offered  a  chair. 

"  Thank  you,  I  cannot  sit.  I  am  surprised 
to  see  you  so  soon  in  order." 

"  Not  in  order  yet ;  just  beginning  to  get 
settled.  The  house  is  still  in  confusion,  ex- 


THE   PREPOSSESSING    BOW.  29 

cepting  this  one  room,  which  was  safe  from 
the  window-breakers,  in  consequence  of  the 
closed  shutters,"  said  Lewis. 

"  How  many  panes  of  glass  are  wanting?" 

"  Please  take  a  seat,  and  I  will  go  and 
count  them,"  replied  Lewis.  * 

As  soon  as  Lewis  had  left  the  room,  Mr. 
Ferguson  began  questioning  Lottie : 

"  Did  I  understand  your  brother  rightly, 
that  you  have  no  father  ?" 

"  You  did  not,  sir ;  my  father  has  been 
absent  in  a  distant  part  of  the  country  for 
several  years,"  replied  Lottie,  with  evident 
embarrassment. 

"  And  does  your  young  brother  expect  to 
support  your  mother  and  yourself?" 

u  He  hopes  to  be  able  to  do  so,  sir ;  he  has 
the  steadiness  and  capability  of  a  man,  though 
he  seems  to  you  so  young." 

"  I  am  afraid  he  will  have  a  hard  task  ?" 

"  Oh  !  do  not  say  that,  sir ;  he  is  the  best 
of  sons  and  brothers,  and  I  cannot  bear  to 
think  of  hardships  for  him." 

"  Is  your  mother  an  invalid?" 

"  She  has  nearly  lost  the  use  of  her  hands 
and  feet  from  repeated  attacks  of  nervous 
rheumatism,  otherwise  her  health  is  tolerably 
good  at  present," 

3* 


30  GET   MONEY. 

"Helpless — helpless,"  replied  Mr.  Fergu 
son,  in  an  indifferent  tone,  which  jarred  quite 
discordantly  with  the  tender  emotions  of 
Lottie's  warm  heart.  After  a  few  moments 
of  consideration  the  suspicious  Mr.  Ferguson 
shook  his  head,  saying,  "I  am  afraid  you  are 
runaways  ;  why  did  you  leave  your  home  ?" 

"  The  house  was  mortgaged  ;  the  mortgage 
was  foreclosed  and  the  house  sold ;  wre  were 
obliged  to  leave,  and  my  brother  came  to 
find  employment."  Here  the  tears  streamed 
down  Lottie's  face,  and  she  could  scarcely 
keep  from  sobbing  aloud. 

"  Well,  well,  don't  cry,  girl ;  I  was  only  afraid 
your  brother  had  made  a  mistake  in  coming 
here,  for  we  are  overrun  with  strangers  and 
foreigners." 

Just  as  Mr.  Ferguson  made  this  unfeeling 
speech,  Lewis  returned  and  said  there  were 
eighty-three  panes  of  glass  broken. 

"  Eighty-three !  Why  it  will  cost  your 
first  quarter's  rent  to  put  them  in ;  and  ten 
chances  to  one  they  will  be  broken  out 
again." 

"  You  have  promised,  sir,  that  it  should  be 
done." 

"I  have,  and  shall  keep  my  promise ;  but 
after  this,  if  they  are  broken  you  must  pay  for 


THE  PREPOSSESSING  BOW.  31 

them."  So  saying,  Mr.  Ferguson  departed 
without  so  much  as  bidding  Anna  and  Lewis 
good  morning,  notwithstanding  he  was  so 
great  an  admirer  of  good  manners ! 

Through  the  joint  exertions  of  the  brother 
and  sister,  and  their  faithful  domestic,  the 
furniture  was  all  arranged,  and  the  house  in 
order  before  night. 

Lewis  had  succeeded  in  purchasing  a  load 
of  wood,  and  spent  three  or  four  hours  in 
cutting  up  some  for  immediate  use. 

The  panes  of  glass  were  all  set  by  two  men 
whom  Mr.  Ferguson  had  dispatched  for  the 
purpose. 

Polly  heard  one  of  these  men  say  to  the 
other,  "I  wouldn't  live  in  this  house  for  a 
mint  of  money."  The  other  replied,  "I 
wouldn't  for  all  the  old  miser  was  worth." 

Polly  pondered  over  this,  but  did  not  re 
peat  it.  "I  suppose,"  thought 'she,  "these 
men  are  afraid  they  should  get  their  heads 
broken  by  the  stones.  I  shall  place  my  bed 
where  no  stones  can  reach  it  from  the  win 
dows." 

That  night  the  tenants  of  the  Haunted 
House  were  undisturbed,  even  by  the  rats, 
who  seemed  to  have  been  frightened  from 
the  premises  by  the  new  occupants. 


CHAPTEE  IY. 

SEEKING     EMPLOYMENT. 

THE  next  morning,  Lewis  came  down  to 
breakfast  neatly  dressed,  his  countenance 
beaming  with  cheerfulness  and  hope. 

Lottie  came  down,  at  the  same  time,  re 
freshed  by  sweet  sleep  and  pleasant  dreams. 

The  breakfast  table  was  already  spread  in 
the  dining-room. 

"I  am  going  to  seek  my  fortune  in  the  city 
to-day,  sister  mine,"  said  Lewis,  cheerily. 
"  I  know  you.  heartily  wish  me  success." 

"  Indeed,  I  do,  brother ;  I  have  laid  dear 
mother's  Bible  and  prayer  book  on  this  little 
table.  Will  you  read  this  morning  ?  I  should 
feel  more  at  home  if  you  would  thus  conse 
crate  our  new  dwelling." 

Lewis,  for  a  moment,  looked  doubtful  and 
embarrassed.  He  had  never  before  been 


SEEKING   EMPLOYMENT.  33 

called  on  to  officiate  at  morning  prayers, 
though  he  had  always  devoutly  joined  when 
his  mother  led  the  family  devotions.  The 
doubt  lasted  but  for  a  moment.  Lewis  took 
his  seat  by  the  small  table,  and  opened  the 
Bible  at  the  23rd  Psalm. 

Lottie  called  Polly,  who  dropped  in  a  chair 
and  threw  her  apron  over  her  head  to  con 
ceal  the  tears  which  would  come  in  spite  of 
her,  as  she  thought  of  her  absent  mistress,  and 
listened  to  the  beautiful  psalni  from  the  pre 
cious  Bible  of  that  good  mistress.  The  slight 
embarrassment  which  rendered  the  voice  of 
Lewis,  tremulous  at  first,  soon  passed  off,  and 
his  reading  became  natural  arid  earnest.  He 
then  knelt  and  repeated  the  Lord's  Prayer,  in 
which  he  was  fervently  joined  by  Lottie. 

This  breakfast  was  the  finishing  meal  of  the 
provisions  they  had  brought  with  them. 
Lewis,  taking  a  basket  on  his  arm  for  the 
purpose  of  bringing  home  a  further  supply, 
bade  Lottie  "  good  morning,"  and  started  for 
the  city. 

-Tie  walked  briskly  over  the  long  neck 
which  joins  Koxbury  to  Boston.  "  He 
whistled  as  he  went,"  not  "for  want  of 
thought,"  but  because  the  birds  were  trilling 
forth  their  joyful  songs  at  the  return  of  spring, 


34  GET   MONEY. 

and  the  heart  of  the  boy  was  in  unison  with 
them.     God  bless  him ! 


"  The  world  was  all  before  him  where  to  choose, 
And  Providence  his  guide." 


Lewis  had  decided  to  offer  himself  as  a 
merchant's  clerk".  He  soon  found  himself 
jostled  by  the  hurrying  crowd  which  throngs 
Washington  street,  the  narrow  thoroughfare 
of  the  city  of  Boston,  where  business  of  all 
kinds  is  carried  on  with  activity  and  energy. 
lie  stepped  into  a  large  "  dry  goods  store." 
"  What's  wanted  ?"  roughly  demanded  a 
dapper  clerk,  with  a  dashing  waistcoat  and 
gay  cravat,  the  long  ends  of  which  reminded 
Lewis  of  the  ears  of  a  donkey. 

"I  wish  to  see  the  master  of  the  shop." 
"  Master !     Shop  !     What    do    you   mean ! 
We  have  no  master  here.     This  is  not  a  shop 
either,  it's  a  merchant's  store." 

"I  wish,  then,  to  see  the  gentleman  who  is 
at  the  head  of  this  establishment,"  said  Lewis, 
placing  his  basket  on  the  counter. 
"  Do  you  mean  our  Mr.  Seaborn  ?" 
"  I  am  a  stranger  here,  excuse  me ;  I  did 
not  know  the  apprentices  owned  their  mas 
ter." 


SEEKING   EMPLOYMENT.  35 

"  We  are  not  'prentices,  we  are  clerks,  and 
we  do  own  our  Mr.  Seaborn.  Off  with  your 
basket  from  my  counter !"  As  the  dapper 
clerk  said  this,  he  gave  the  basket  a  shove 
which  sent  it  nearly  to  the  outer  door. 

Lewis,  without  seeming  to  notice  the  basket, 
continued  quietly  standing  by  the  counter, 
against  which  the  saucy  clerk  was  leaning, 
and  inquired,  "Is  Mr.  Seaborn  within?" 

Without  replying  to  this  civil  question,  the 
clerk  stepped  towards  the  door  and  gave  the 
basket  a  kick  which  sent  it  out  upon  the 
pavement,  exclaiming,  "  Off  with  yourself 
now !" 

"  Not  till  I  have  seen  Mr.  Seaborn,"  said 
Lewis,  resolutely,  after  having  picked  up  the 
basket,  placed  it  on  his  arm,  and  returned  to 
the  place  where  he  had  been  standing. 

"  Mr.  Seaborn  is  not  in,  and  will  not  be 
here  for  more  than  an  hour,"  said  an  older 
and  more  civil  clerk,  who  had  stepped  for 
ward  and  heard  the  latter  part  of  the  dia 
logue. 

'  "Thank  you,  sir ;  I  cannot  wait  for  an  hour, 
I  may  possibly  call  again,"  replied  Lewis, 
bowing  politely  as  he  left  the  store. 

"  You  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourself, 
Dick,  to  treat  the  young  gentleman  so  rudely ; 


36  GET  MONEY. 

you  have  no  more  manners  than  a  Hottentot,7' 
remarked  the  older  clerk. 

"  Who  wants  to  waste  manners  on  country 
loons,  carrying  coarse  baskets,  and  talking 
about  masters,  and  'prentices,  and  shops  to  us 
clerks !  Young  gentleman  to  be  sure  I"  ex 
claimed  the  impertinent  clerk,  twitching  the 
long  ends  of  his  gay  cravat. 

Lewis  left  his  basket  at  a  baker's,  where  he 
intended  buying  bread  on  his  way  home,  and 
then  walked  on.  He  entered  another  large 
dry-goods  establishment  and  made  inquiry  of 
"the  master"  if  he  wanted  a  clerk. 

"  No,  I  have  half  a  dozen  lazy  fellows  now, 
who  don't  earn  salt  for  their  porridge,"  was 
the  reply. 

"  Will  you  please,  sir,  tell  me  what  you 
give  your  clerks  the  first  year?" 

"Nothing  at  all;  they  are  learning  the 
business !" 

^ewis  hastened  out  of  the  store.  Attracted 
by  the  brilliant  window  of  a  dealer  in  looking- 
glasses  and  picture-frames ;  he  stepped  in  and 
inquired,  not  for  the  master,  but  for  Mr. 
Noby,  whose  name  in  large  gilt  letters  he  had 
noticed  over  the  door. 

Mr.  Noby  came  forward. 

"gir,  do  you  want  a  clerjs:  in  your  STORE.?" 


SEEKING    EMPLOYMENT.  37 

"  I  waut  a  boy  to  run  errands." 

"  Would  he  be  in  the  way  of  learning  the 
business  in  which  you  are  engaged  ?" 

"  Of  course  not,  for  a  year  or  two.  Are 
you  looking  for  a  situation  ?" 

"  I  am." 

"  Have  you  ever  been  in  a  store  as  clerk  ?" 

"  Never." 

"  Then  what  could  you  do  better  than  run 
errands  ?" 

"  I  write  a  respectable  hand  and  can  keep 
accounts." 

"  Book-keeping  by  double-entry?" 

"  No,  sir ;  but  I  could  easily  learn  that." 

"You  are  too  young  to  be  trusted  with 
books.  If  you  can  bring  a  good  recommenda 
tion,  I  will  try  you  as  errand-boy,  and  give 
you  half  a  dollar  a  week." 

"  A  half  a  dollar  a  week,  without  board  ?" 

"  Yes,  many  a  boy  would  be  glad  to  under 
take  it  for  that." 

"  Good  morning,  sir,"  said  Lewis,  making  a 
hasty  exit. 

-  "  There's  real  grit  in  that  boy,"  remarked 
Mr.  Noby. 

And  so  there  was,  for  his  courage  did  not 
abate ;  he  walked   into   the  very  next  door, 
a  ready-made-clothing  store,  and  made  the 
4 


38  GET   MONET. 

same  inquiry.  No  clerk  was  wanted.  So  on 
he  went  from  shop  to  shop  ;  in  some  places 
meeting  with  civility,  and  in  others  with  rude 
ness,  till,  tired  and  hungry,  he  gave  out,  and 
went  for  his  basket. 

Having  bought  bread,  butter,  beef,  and 
potatoes,  he  took  the  basket  on  his  arm  and 
walked  homeward.  When  he  started  that 
morning  his  basket  was  light,  so  was  his  heart, 
now  they  were  both  heavier.  But  the  thought 
that  his  sister  and  her  faithful  domestic  might 
have  been  for  several  hours  needing  dinner, 
quickened  his  steps,  and  he  soon  reached 
home. 

Lottie  was  looking  out  for  her  brother,  and 
ran  to  meet  him,  saying,  "Let  me  help  you 
with  that  heavy  basket.  How  tired  you  are  ! 
It  has  been  a  long,  long  day." 

"  I  am  afraid,  by  this  time,  you  are  as 
ravenously  hungry  as  I  am,"  said  Lewis. 

"That  we  are — hurry  up  !"  exclaimed  Polly, 
rushing  out  and  seizing  the  basket.  "You 
shall  have  dinner  in  half  an  hour." 

"  Come  in,  brother,  you  look  tired.  Come 
in  here  and  rest  yourself  in  mother's  easy- 
chair;"  so  saying,  Lottie  took  her  brother's 
hat  and  led  him  into  the  front  parlor.  Then 
she  threw  a  towel  over  her  arm,  poured  water 


SEEKING   EMPLOYMENT.  39 

in  a  wash-basin,  and  insisted  on  bringing  it  to 
him  and  holding  it  while  he  bathed  hands  and 
face.  "  I  have  so  much  to  tell  you,"  said  Lottie ; 
"I  can't  waste  a  minute.  I  hope  you  like  Bos 
ton  ;  it  looks  gloriously  from  that  high  hill  just 
over  the  way.  I  went  up  there  and  sat  down  on 
a  rock  to  enjoy  the  prospect,  when  who  should 
come  and  take  a  seat  by  me  but  our  landlord's 
daughter,  Anna  Ferguson  !  She  told  me  some 
marvellous  stories  about  this  house !" 

"Did  she,  indeed!"  exclaimed  Lewis,  tak 
ing  the  towel  from  Lottie  and  hiding  his  face 
with  it,  as  he  wiped  away  the  water-drops — 
and  if  the  truth  must  be  told,  the  tear-drops ; 
for  Lewis,  though  his  spirit  was  a  brave  one, 
was  touched  by  his  sister's  kindness  and 
delicacy.  She  saw  he  was  weary  and  disap 
pointed,  and  asked  no  questions. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  very  marvellous  stories. 
But  I  will  begin  at  the  beginning  of  mine. 
As  I  said,  I  mounted  to  the  top  of  yonder 
hill.  The  sun  was  shining  with  a  soft  kind  of 
light,  not  a  glare,  but  a  most  becoming  light, 
just  such  an  one  as  would  charm  a  landscape- 
painter.  Just. on  one  side  of  me  was  a  grove 
— the  delicate,  green  leaves  of  which  are  not 
outspread  enough  yet  to  shelter  the  birds 
w^hich  were  singing  among  the  budding 


40  GET   MONEY. 

branches.  Before  and  around  me  was  a 
magnificent  panorama.  Boston  looked  like 
the  enchanted  city  of  a  fairy-tale,  dropped  on 
the  hills  by  a  mighty  magician,  and  crowned 
with  its  graceful  dome,  queen  of  cities.  The 
harbor  was  glittering  in  sunlight,  and  its 
many  islands  seemed  to  float  like  giant  birds 
on  the  calm  blue  water." 

"  Sister,  you  are  a  poetess — 'poeta  nascitur, 
nonfit:  " 

"  I  am  glad  you  do  not  forget  your  Latin," 
said  Lottie,  laughing ;  "  I  fear,  however,  there 
is  no  truth  in  your  quotation." 

"I  must  give  up  learning  and  Latin  for  a 
time,"  replied  Lewis,  with  a  half-breathed 
sigh  ;  "I  said  only  what  is  true.  I  remember 
mother  once  remarked  that  you  were  like 
Pope — you  *  lisped  in  numbers,  for  the  num 
bers  came.' ': 

"  And  I  did  not  understand  it  then,  or 
now." 

"  It  meant  that  he  could  not  help  being  a 
poet — neither  can  you  ?" 

"  Oh,  you  are  partial ;  I  haven't  told  you 
all  my  story  yet.  After  enjoying  the  glori 
ous  prospect  for  a  while,  I  was  startled  by  the 
rapid  approach  of  some  one,  and  on  turning 
my  head  saw  a  young  girl  near  rny  own  age, 


SEEKING   EMPLOYMENT.  41 

who  was  running  up  the  hill ;  she  dropped 
down  beside  me,  saying,  'Are  you  the  girl 
who  lives  in  the  Haunted  House  ?'  " 

"  Haunted  House  !"  I  said,  "  I  live  in  that 
small  house  yonder." 

" <  "Well,  that  is  the  Haunted  House,'  she 
replied  ;  and  then  went  on  to  say  how  an  old 
miser,  named  Nollins,  lived  there  many  years. 
He  wore  old,  patched  clothes,  and  a  big  white 
hat,  and  blue  yarn  stockings,  and  short  clothes, 
and  buckles  at  the  knee ;  a  queer,  old- 
fashioned  creature,  whom  nobody  knew  or 
loved.  'Two  or  three  times  Morris  and  I 
went  there  to  carry  him  strawberries  from  our 
garden — more  out  of  curiosity  than  anything 
else.  He  just  poked  his  head  out  the  door, 
and  took  our  basket,  th«n  shut  the  door  again, 
and  after  a  few  minutes  opened  it  again  and 
handed  out  the  basket,  saying,  "  Pretty  child 
ren,  good  children."  The  last  time  we  went 
there,  was  the  very  day  he  made  his  will. 
He  went  into  Boston  and  had  it  witnessed 
and  recorded  and  all  that,  to  make  it  a  good 
will,  and  left  that  house  and  all  his  property 
to  my  papa.  And  the  very  night  after,  the 
old  miser  was  murdered !' 

"  Only  think  of  that,  brother !"  exclaimed 

Lottie.     "  Poor  old  man  !     He  certainly  was 
4* 


42  GET   MONEY. 

grateful  for  a  trifling  kindness,  for  be  left  this 
house  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  to  Mr.  Fer 
guson.  But  the  money  could  not  be  found." 

"  How  was  the  death  of  the  miser  dis 
covered  ?" 

"  The  milk-man,  wlio  carried  him  half  a 
pint  of  milk  every  other  day,  missed  him  one 
morning.  The  miser  used  to  poke  out  a 
small  tin  cup,  just  as  he  did  the  basket  to 
Anna  Ferguson,  into  which  the  man  poured 
the  milk.  That  particular  morning  he  knocked 
and  knocked,  and  no  one  came.  He  pushed 
against  the  door  and  found  it  was  not  locked. 
So,  thinking  the  poor  old  man  might  be  ill,  he 
went  in  and  found  Mr.  Nollins  was  dead,  and 
had  been  dead  for  some  time,  in  the  very 
room  which  is  now  yours,  brother.  Ever 
since,  the  house  has  been  haunted,  says  Miss 
Ferguson.  By  rats,  I  told  her.  '  No,  by  the 
ghost  of  the  old  miser.'  Then  I  laughed  and 
said  I  was  much  more  afraid  of  rats  than  of 
ghosts.  At  which  she  seemed  much  surprised 
and  said  she  would  not  sleep  a  single  night  in 
the  old  house  for  the  fifty  thousand  dollars  the 
miser  had  left  to  her  father.  Then  she  jumped 
up  and  ran  down  the  hill,  leaving  me  to  medi 
tate  on  this  strange  story.  I  pity  the  poor, 
lonely  old  man,  who  it  seems  had  neither 


SEEKING   EMPLOYMENT.  43 

kith  nor  kin  to  whom  he  could  leave  his 
money." 

"  Have  you  told  this  strange  tale  to 
Polly  3" 

"  JSTo,  I  have  not.  I  thought  she  might  feel 
somewhat  frightened  by  it  when  left  alone ; 
for  though  1  do  not  believe  in  ghosts,  it  made 
me  feel  unpleasantly  to  have  our  home  called 
the  Haunted  House.  I  suppose  that  is  the 
reason  why  the  boys  have  broken  the  win 
dows." 

Polly  now  came  to  summon  Lewis  and 
Lottie  to  dinner. 

When  they  had  finished  their  meal,  which 
Polly's  nice  cooking,  aided  by  keen  appetites, 
had  rendered  very  relishing,  the  brother  and 
sister  went  to  look  at  the  garden  behind  the 
house.  It  was  overrun  with  weeds  and 
thistles,  having  been  entirely  neglected  for 
several  years. 

"Here  we  can  have  a  fine  garden,"  said 
Lewis.  *'  How  well  it  was  that  I  brought 
seed  and  all  my  gardening  tools.  I  will  run 
and  get  spade  and  rake  this  very  minute,  and 
we  can  have  a  bed  of  peas  planted  before  sun 
down." 

Notwithstanding  the  fatigue  and  disappoint 
ment  of  the  day,  Lewis  went  vigorously  to 


44:  GET   MONEY. 

work,  and  while  digging  the  bed  for  the  peas, 
gave  his  sister  an  amusing  account  of  his 
adventures  in  Boston.  Though  in  the  recital, 
Lewis  had  made  his  efforts  matter  for  sport, 
Lottie  knew  how  trying  they  must  have  been 
to  him,  and  her  laughter  was  not  very  hearty. 
She  drew  off  his  thoughts  from  a  subject  that 
she  knew  must  be  painful,  by  saying,  "  How 
delightful  it  will  be  to  mother,  to  find  a  nice 
garden  here.  I  am  going  to  have  the  fun  of 
dropping  in  the  peas." 

"  And  you  shall  have  some  flower  borders, 
Lottie." 

The  sun  had  now  fallen  below  the  horizon, 
having  made  his  farewell  with  a  bright  twi 
light.  The  digging  and  planting  were  finished 
and  Lewis  and  Lottie  went  in  to  tea. 


CHAPTEE  Y. 

A     MOCK     SEKENADE. 

THE  weary  brother  and '  sister  had  retired 
early,  but  very  little  rest  had  they  that  night. 
The  rats  disturbed  them  less,  but  they  had 
other  still  more  noisy  and  troublesome  visi 
tors.  Stones  were  thrown  against  the  house, 
and  two  of  them  entered  the  room  occupied 
by  Lewis.  A  mob  of  mischievous  boys  had 
collected,  with  tin  kettles,  drums  and  horns, 
which  they  employed  as  an  accompaniment 
to  their  own  groaning,  yelling  and  hooting. 
The  tenants  took  no  notice  of  this  outrageous 
serenade,  at  least  none  of  them  appeared  to 
notice  it,  though  they  were  much  disturbed, 
and  were  kept  awake  by  it  long  after  mid 
night. 

The  next  morning  Lottie  looked  pale  and 
sad. 

45 


46  GET   MONEY. 

"  Cheer  up,  sister,  the  boys  will  soon  be  tired 
of  the  fun  if  nobody  minds  them.  The  evil- 
spirits  happily  are  all  outside.  They  will  do 
us  good  service  by  driving  away  the  rats. 
Polly  says  they  went  off  in  troops  last  night." 

"  I  am  glad,  indeed,  to  learn  they  have 
done  us  some  service — they  took  pains  enough 
for  it,"  said  Lottie.  "I  am  sure  they  have 
hooted  themselves  hoarse.  I  never  in  my 
life  heard  noises  so  horrible.  I  am  glad  dear 
mother  was  not  here." 

"  So  am  I.  Even  our  courageous  Polly 
was  frightened." 

Mr.  Ferguson  had  heard  the  insulting  sere 
nade,  though  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant,  and 
on  his  way  to  town  stopped  at  the  gate. 

Lewis  was  busily  employed  nailing  over 
the  front  porch  a  neglected  honeysuckle, 
which  had  been  trailing  on  the  ground.  Lot 
tie  was  holding  up  the  vine  for  him  with 
both  hands,  amusing  him  at  the  same  time 
with  her  lively  chat. 

"  Good  morning,  children  ;  how  do  you  feel 
after  last  night's  concert  ?"  inquired  Mr.  Fer 
guson,  leaning  over  the  gate. 

"A  very  unharmonious  concert  it  was,  sir. 
You  have  troublesome  neighbors,  Mr.  Fergu- 
guson. 


A   MOCK   SERENADE.  47 

"  Yile  rascals  1  they  must  be  frightened 
away  from  these  premises.  I  advise  you  to 
burn  a  blue  light  in  the  front  window  and  to 
manufacture  a  ghost  to  represent  old  JSTollins, 
and  place  it  by  the  same  window.  The  ras 
cals  would  then  be  frightened  out  of  their 
wits." 

"  Excuse  me,  sir,"  said  Lewis,  stepping 
down  from  the  porch,  over  which  he  had  now 
fastened  the  honeysuckle.  "  Excuse  me,  sir ; 
I  should  in  that  way  increase  the  silly  super 
stition  prevailing  among  the  neighbors,  that 
this  house  is  haunted." 

"  Suppose  it  did,  if  it  kept  the  scamps  away 
from  it." 

"  I  would  rather  try  some  other  means," 
replied  Lewis. 

"  Perhaps  you  think  the  real  ghost  would 
appear,  if  you  were  to  affront  his  ghostship  by 
getting  up  a  fictitious  one.  Hey,  boy,  is  that 
it?" 

"  No,  indeed,  sir.  I  think  I  may  have  an 
opportunity  to  become  acquainted  with  the 
boys,  and  then  I  can  reason  them  out  of 
their  foolish  notions  about  the  house." 

"  I  fear  your  reasoning  would  be  in  vain  ; 
you  can  try  it,  however.  Your  sister  is  not,  I 
suppose,  quite  as  courageous  as  you  are." 


4:8  GET   MONET. 

"  Yes  she  is,  sir.  Speak  for  yourself,  Lottie, 
dear." 

"  I  am  afraid  of  stones,  sir  ;  especially  when 
they  are  thrown  into  my  brother's  windows," 
replied  Lottie,  looking  up  at  the  windows  of 
her  brother's  room. 

"  I  don't  see  any  glass  broken  there," 
remarked  Mr.  Ferguson. 

"No,  because  brother  mended  it  before 
breakfast  this  morning." 

"  Is  that  so,  boy  3" 

"  Yes ;  I  bought  a  few  panes  of  glass  and 
some  putty  of  the  men  who  were  here  the 
other  day,  and  I  have  set  two  this  morning 
which  were  dashed  in  last  night." 

"You  are  a  genuine  Yankee!"  said  Mr. 
Ferguson. 

The  brother  and  sister  smiled  significantly 
without  replying.  At  this  moment,  Polly, 
who  with  her  back  turned  towards  the  gate, 
was  scrubbing  the  porch,  heard  only  the  last 
remark,  exclaimed : 

"  A  gemi-ine  Yankee  ;  yes,  sir-ee,  if  you 
want  to  see  a  geuu-ine  live  Yankee  here  she 
is — blood  and  bone,  skin  and  muscle,  tooth 
and  nail,  hair  and  gristle — and  proud  of  it, 
too,  except  where  there  are  SIGH  Yankees  as 
they  be  in  these  parts." 


A   MOCK   SERENADE.  4:9 

"Hush,  Polly,  the  gentleman  will  think 
you  mean  to  insult  him,"  said  Lottie. 

"  I  don't  mean  any  sick  a  thing.  He's  not  a 
Yankee  himself ;  I  know  by  the  way  he  says 
Yankee  ;"  and  Polly,  without  giving  a  single 
look  at  Mr.  Ferguson,  flourished  her  scrub 
bing-brush  with  the  rapidity  of  a  circular 
saw. 

Mr.  Ferguson  made  a  ludicrous  attempt  at 
laughter,  which  only  drew  his  thin  lips  more 
tightly  over  his  long  teeth,  and  then,  as 
though  resuming  the  thread  of  conversation 
which  had  been  broken,  said  to  Lottie : 

"  Then,  really,  you  are  not  afraid  of  appari 
tions  ?" 

"  My  mother  has  taught  me  that  there  is  only 
one  being  whom  I  need  to  fear,  and  if  I  love 
and  fear  God  I  need  not  be  afraid  of  any 
other  invisible  being.'' 

"  "What !  not  his  satanic  majesty,  himself?" 
lightly  asked  Mr.  Ferguson,  with  another 
fruitless  attempt  at  a  laugh. 

"  No,  sir,"  replied  Lottie,  with  earnest 
solemnity,  "  not  if  I  fear  God  and  keep  his 
commandments." 

Mr.  Ferguson  made  no  reply ;  but  as  he 
walked  slowly  towards  the  city  he  pondered 
over  the  conversation  which  had  just  passed. 
5 


50  GET  MONET. 

" '  Fear  God  and  keep  his  commandments,  for 
that  is  the  whole  duty  of  man.'  I  used  to 
write  that  in  my  copy-book  when  I  was  a 
boy." 

The  holy  text  would  intrude  itself  again 
and  again.  How  seldom  had  it  influenced 
his  conduct  1 

The  fresh  breeze,  redolent  with  the  perfume 
of  violets,  fanned  his  flushed  face  ;  birds  sent 
up  their  morning  hymn  of  praise  to  their 
Creator ;  a  few  light  clouds  floated  across  the 
bright  azure  of  heaven,  softening  the  light  on 
meadow,  rock  and  river. 

"  Fear  God  ;"  why  should  I  fear  him  ?  Be 
cause,  answered  Conscience ;  because  you 
have  not  kept  his  commandments. 


CHAPTEK  VL 

THE      SAUOY      CLERK. 

long  after  Mr.  Ferguson  left,  Lewis 
wended  his  way  to  Boston — determined  not  to 
"  'bate  one  jot  of  heart  or  hope,"  because  of 
his  want  of  success  on  the  preceding  day. 

Lottie  walked  half  of  the  way  with  him, 
and  at  parting  gave  him  a  kiss,  saying,  "  Keep 
up  good  courage,  dear  brother ;  I  know  there 
is  not  a  better  clerk  in  the  whole  city  than 
you  would  make.  Fortune  will  not  be  so 
blind  to-day  as  she  was  yesterday." 

It  was  such  a  day  as  seldom  greets  Bos- 
tonians  during  the  much-glorified  month  of 
May  ;  a  month  which  too  frequently  shows  a 
sour,  sulky  face  in  that  region.  This  day, 
it  smiled  like  a  belle  at  a  ball,  who,  for  the 
nonce,  had  laid  aside  sulks  and  frowns. 

Lottie  ascended  the  hill  commanding  the 
view  of- the  city  and  its  environs.  Then  she 

51 


52  GET   MONEY. 

seated  herself  on  a  rock,  took  from  her  pocket 
pencil  and  paper,  and  began  to  write  poetry. 
Charlotte  Lenning,  though  a  very  good  girl, 
was  somewhat  sentimental.  Her  sentiment 
and  romance  did  very  little  harm  to  any  one, 
yet,  they  led  her  to  writing  verses  which  her 
partial  brother  called  poetry. 

Charlotte  was  a  true  lover  of  Nature,  and, 
as  the  magnificent  scenery  was  spread  oat 
before  her,  though,  all  alone,  she  exulted  in  it, 
rapturously.  She  was  not  at  all  like  some 
sentimental  misses,  whose  only  pleasure  is  to 
go  with  a  "  party,"  and  make  a  parade  of 
their  emotions — and,  who,  even  in  the  sublime 
presence  of  Niagara,  exclaim  :  "  How  lovely !" 
"How  pretty!"  "How  sweet!"  "Charm 
ing  !"  «  Delightful !" 

Lottie  admiringly  gazed  at  the  white,  fleecy 
clouds  sailing  over  the  serene  blue  sky,  and 
then  wrote : 

"LINES  TO  THE  CLOUDS." 
Evanescent  messengers  of  Heaven, 

Very  good  !  But  what  was  to  be  the  next 
line  ?  Seven,  eleven,  leaven  ? 

"  How  few  words  rhyme  to  Heaven  !  what 
a  pity  !  it's  a  fault  in  the  English  language," 


A    SAUCY   CLERK.  53 

thought  Lottie  ;  "  I  must  take  a  poet's  license 
and  make  such  words  as  given,  striven,  and 
riven,  rhyme  to  Heaven." 

Evanescent  messengers  of  Heaven, 
Swiftly  by  the  light  winds  driven — 

"  Now  that  isn't  a  good  line,  for  the  clouds 
would  not  be  driven  swiftly  by  light  winds. 
1  By  high  winds  driven.'  No;  that  would 
not  be  poetical,  it  sounds  too  much  in  the 
almanac  style." 

Gently  by  the  breezes  driven — 

"  That  is  not  the  right  measure ;  the  line 
must  have  two  more  syllables." 

Gently  by  the  summer  breezes  driven. 
"That  will  do." 

Come  ye  from  the  glowing,  spicy  orient — 

"  I  like  that,  but  orient  will  not  answer  be 
cause  it  is  a  syllable  too  long." 

Come  ye  from  the  glowing  East  so  spicy — 

Here  Lottie  dropped  her  head  on  her  lap, 
and  remained  in  meditation  for  many  minutes. 
"  All  the  oddest  words  in  the  language  come 
5*    • 


54:  GET   MONEY. 

into  my  puzzled  brain.  I  can't  think  of  any 
thing  rhyming  to  spicy,  but  just  icy  ;  I  must 
change  that  line  again." 

Come  ye  from  the  eastern  lands  so  flow'ry, 
Making  lovely  spring  so  kindly  show'ry. 

After  having  passed  more  than  an  hour  in 
hammering  out  these  few  lines,  she  gave  up 
in  despair,  replaced  the  writing  materials, 
and  rising  with  a  profound  sigh,  said  : 

"  Alas !  the  muses  frown  upon  me  this 
bright  morning." 

"When  Lottie  reached  home  she  was  saluted 
by  her  queer  domestic  with  a  torrent  of  ques 
tions.  Where  she  had  been ;  why  she  had 
stayed  so  long ;  why  she  had  idled  away  the 
morning,  when  her  brother's  clothes  needed 
mending. 

"  You  ought  to  have  been  home  patching 
your  brother's  old  coat,  to  save  the  wear  and 
tear  of  the  new  one,  while  he's  working  in  the 
garden." 

"Indeed,  Polly,  I  was  disposed  to  write 
poetry  this  morning,  and  lingered  longer  than 
I  should  have  done  because  I  could  not  find 
rhymes  when  I  had  beautiful  thoughts  in  my 
mind." 

The  instant  reply  from  Polly  was  : 


THE    SAUOY   CLERK.  55 

"  Polly  Potts, 
Kound  she  trots, 
All  alone, 
Making  moan. 
Charlotte  gone 
All  the  morn, 
When  she  could, 
If  she  would, 
Mend  the  stock- 
Ings  and  pock- 
Ets  so  worn, 
And  all  torn  " 


"  Stop,  Polly,  for  pity's  sake,  stop.  What  a 
torrent  of  rhymes,"  exclaimed  Lottie.  "  How 
can  you  string  them  together  with  such 
rapidity." 

"  Because  'tis  my  natur'  to.  Rhymin'  is 
as  easy  as  breathin'.  But  here's  the  coat 
waiting  for  you,  the  elbows  making  a  great  to 
do  while  you  were  blinkin'  and  thinkin'  on 
the  hill  yonder." 

Charlotte  seized  the  coat,  retreated  to  the 
little  front  parlor,  and  there  applied  her 
self  vigorously  to  patching,  quite  disgusted 
with  poetry,  after  her  unsuccessful  attempt, 
and  the  specimen  she  had  received  from  the 
voluble  Polly. 

Yet  she  need  not  have  been  disgusted.  She 
might  have  learned  from  the  two  efforts  the 


56  GET   MONET. 

difference  between  rhyming  and  measure,  ^j 
the  spirit  of  poetry  itself.  The  true  essence 
of  poetry  was  in  her  own  pure  imaginative 
mind,  in  her  keen  perception  and  love  of  the 
beautiful,  and  her  delicacy  of  sentiment.  It 
was  the  form  in  which  poetry  clothes  itself, 
which  she  could  not  yet  manage.  Besides, 
the  grandeur  and  beauty  of  the  scenery,  that 
morning,  overpowered  her.  She  could  have 
written  much  better  some  hours  after  from 
memory,  than  in  the  immediate  subduing 
presence  of  that  magnificent  landscape.  True, 
her  sentiment  was  in  danger  of  becoming  mor 
bid,  and  her  romance  might  in  time  produce 
disgust  with  actual  life,  and  ooze  out  at  her 
fingers-ends  in  doggerel — She  needed  a  judi 
cious  friend  who  would  point  out  these  dan 
gers  and  rightly  direct  her  pliant  mind. 
Now  she  had  only  her  partial  brother,  who 
admired  all  she  said  and  did,  and  fostered, 
instead  of  repressing,  her  tenderness  of  feeling 
and  extreme  sensibility. 

Lewis,  because  his  own  mind  was  of  a  dif 
ferent  stamp,  considered  it  quite  common 
place  and  inferior.  He  had  a  large  share  of 
practical  common  sense,  and  a  well-formed 
habit  of  correct  reasoning.  For  so  young  a 
person  he  had  a  remarkably  quick  perception 


THE    SAUCY    CLERK.  57 

of  what  was  due  to  every  one  with  whom  he 
was  brought  in  contact,  and  yielded  to  old 
and  to  young,  rich  and  poor,  what  was 
demanded  by  Christian  charity. 

Yet,  he  was  only  sixteen  years  of  age,  and 
had  his  faults  like  other  boys,  though  not  as 
many  faults  as  some  boys  whom  he  encoun 
tered  that  very  morning. 

As  Lewis  was  passing  the  store  in  which 
the  "  smart  young  clerk "  had  insulted  him 
the  preceding  day,  that  same  young  upstart 
rushed  out  upon  him,  and  siezing  him  by  the 
collar,  exclaimed  : 

"  Here's  the  '  wants  a  sittiation  scrub  '  who 
stole  my  new  pocket-handkerchief—help  me 
—hold  him !" 

Several  other  clerks  rushed  out  of  the  store. 
In  an  instant  Lewis  had  jerked  himself  away 
from  his  assailant  with  such  force  as  to  send 
the  saucy  clerk  againt  a  lamp-post,  which, 
coming  in  contact  with  his  nose,  caused  the 
blood  to  flow. 

"  Here,  you  scamp  !  what  are  you  about  ?" 
roughly  demanded  a  police  officer,  seizing 
Lewis  with  the  grip  of  a  tiger,  and  giving  him 
a  tremendous  shaking. 

A  crowd  quickly  gathered  around.     There 
stood  the  clerk  with  the  blood  streaming  over 
3* 


58  GET    MCXNEY. 

liis  shirt  bosom  and  stylish  vest,  and  there 
Lewis  in  the  grip  of  the  officer. 

"  Can  anybody  tell  me  what  this  covey  has 
been  doing  ?"  said  he,  giving  Lewis  another 
shaking. 

"I  can,"  blubbered  out  the  clerk,  with  the 
blood  streaming  over  his  mouth ;  "  he  stole 
my  pocket-handkerchief  yesterday — a  new, 
silk  handkerchief.  "Won't  somebody  lend  me 
one  ?" 

A  dozen  handkerchiefs,  of  all  sizes  and 
colors,  were  instantly  offered  to  the  sufferer, 
by  the  crowd,  who,  together  with  the  officer, 
took  the  absence  of  the  handkerchief  as  proof 
positive  that  it  had  been  stolen. 

Just  then,  Mr.  Seaborn,  the  owner  of  the 
store,  came  upon  the  scene  of  action,  and 
demanded  the  cause  of  the  crowd  and  the  ex 
citement. 

It  was  given  by  several  at  once,  in  such  in 
coherent  and  contradictory  terms,  that  he 
could  make  nothing  out  of  it. 

"  Why,  Dick  Moland,  you  seem  to  have 
been  wounded  in  the  fray  ;  your  waistcoat 
has  a  brighter  color  than  the  original  pat 
tern,"  said  Mr.  Seaborn,  laughing. 

Dick  was  holding  his  nose,  and  could  only 
point  to  Lewis  Lenning  as  the  cause  of  it. 


THE   SAUCY    CLERK.  59 

"  Well,  come  into  my  counting-room  with 
the  culprit,  and  let  us  find  out  what  this  affair 
means.  Let  none  follow  but  the  officer  and 
the  parties  concerned." 

"Thank  you,  sir,"  said  Lewis,  with  his 
usual  politeness. 

"  Why  do  you  thank  me,  boy  ?"  inquired 
Mr.  Seaborn,  as  they  walked  through  the  long 
store,  the  officer  still  holding  Lewis  tightly  by 
the  arm,  and  keeping  his  eye  constantly  upon 
him. 

"  I  thank  you,  sir,  because  it  will  give  me 
an  opportunity  to  explain  this  matter  as  far  as 
I  know  anything  about  it.  Please  ask  the 
policeman  not  to  grasp  my  arm  so  firmly.  It 
hurts  me  badly,  and  I  have  not  the  slightest 
inclination  to  run  away." 

"Let  him  loose,  let  him  loose,"  said  Mr. 
Seaborn. 

•il  JSTot  till  he  is  behind  that  door.  I've  had 
to  chase  too  many  such  rascals  as  he,"  said 
the  policeman. 

When  they  were  within  the  counting-room, 
the  officer  locked  the  door  and  then  loosened 
his  grasp,  though  he  still  kept  his  hand  on  the 
arm  of  his  prisoner. 

Mr.  Seaborn  seated  himself  in  a  leather 
arm-chair,  and  Dick  stood  beside  him,  with  a 


60  GET   MONEY. 

most    lamentable    countenance,   though    the 
blood  had  ceased  flowing. 

"  Now,  Dick,  tell  your  story  first,  and  as 
truly  as  if  you  were  under  oath,  as  you  per 
haps  will  have  to  be  when  you  tell  it  again," 
said  Mr.  Seaborn,  assuming  a  magisterial 
air. 

"  He  stole  my  new,  silk  handkerchief  yes 
terday." 

"  How  do  you  know  he  stole  it  ?"  demanded 
Mr.  Seaborn. 

"Why  yesterday  he  came  into  our  store 
and  set  a  big,  coarse  basket  on  the  counter, 
and  then  pretended  he  wanted  a  situation  as 
clerk  in  our  store.  I  told  him  to  be  off  with 
himself,  for  our  Mr.  Seaborn  did  not  employ 
such  country  gortahs.  Some  rather  high 
words  passed  between  us  ;  and  about  an  hour 
after  he  left,  I  missed  my  new  handkerchief, 
and  have  looked  everywhere  for  it  and  can't 
find  it.  The  last  time  I  had  it,  was  while  I 
was  talking  to  that  fellow.  Now  I  know  why 
he  hung  on  so  after  I  had  told  him  to  go.  I 
could  take  my  oath  he  is  the  thief.  This 
morning,  as  soon  as  I  saw  him,  I  rushed  out 
upon  }iim  and  seized  him.  He  dashed  me  up 
against  the  lamp-post  and  was  about  to  run, 
.when  some  of  ,our  .clerks  came  out,  and 


THE    8AUOT    CLEKK.  61 

this  police  officer  stepped  up  arid  stopped 
him." 

"Now  let  us  hear  your  story,  boy,  and 
mind  you  tell  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and 
nothing  but  the  truth,  or  it  will  be  the  worse 
for  you.  In  the  first  place,  what  is  your 
name  ?"  asked  the  self-constituted  magistrate. 

"  Lewis  Lenning,  sir." 

"  I'll  write  it  down ;"  and  Mr.  Seaborn 
wrote  the  name,  while  the  officer  muttered, 
"  I'll  bet  that's  only  one  of  his  aliases" 

"  Well,  Lewis  Lenning,  go  on,"  said  Mr. 
Seaborn,  pompously,  rather  than  severely. 

With  perfect  self-possession,  Lewis  con 
tinued  : 

"I  came  into  Boston  yesterday  morning 
from  Roxbury,  to  seek  a  place  as  clerk  in  a 
store  or  counting-house.  I  made  my  first  ap 
plication  here,  and  was  rudely  repulsed  by 
that  young  gentleman,  as  he  probably  calls 
himself;  my  coarse  basket  seemed  particu 
larly  offensive,  and  he  kicked  it  out  of  the 
store.  I  was  therefore  obliged  to  leave  with 
out  waiting  to  see  the  master,  for  whom  I  in 
quired.  I  was  not  so  rudely  treated  else 
where,  but  was  unsuccessful  in  finding  a  place. 
This  morning  I  came  in  town  again  for  the 
same  purpose.  As  I  was  quietly  passing  by  I 
6 


62  GET   MONEY. 

was  roughly  siezed  by  the  person  whom  you 
call  Dick,  and  accused  by  him  of  stealing. 
Sir,  I  confess  I  was  angry  at  such  a  vile  accu 
sation,  and  threw  him  off  very  quickly ;  un 
fortunately  he  fell  against  a  lamp-post,  and 
that  caused  the  bleeding  at  the  nose." 

"  But,  the  handkerchief!  the  handkerchief! 
what  have  you  to  say  about  that?"  said 
the  officer;  "if  you  took  it,  you  had  bet 
ter  confess  it,  and  produce  it  on  the  spot,  for 
you  are  too  likely  a  fellow  to  spend  your  time 
in  jail,  and  I  rather  think  this  may  be  a  first 
offence." 

"  I  remember  seeing  the  young  gentleman 
flourishing  a  white,  silk  handkerchief" 

"  And  you  took  a  fancy  to  it,  did  you  ?" 
impudently  demanded  Dick. 

Without  noticing  the  interruption,  Lewis 
went  on,  "And  once  he  snapped  it  almost  in 
my  face.  I  remember,  perfectly,  after  he 
had  done  so,  his  thrusting  it,  with  a  very  con 
sequential  air,  into  his  bosom  ;  and,  if  I  am  not 
mistaken,  it  is  there  now." 

"  How  is  that,  Dick  ?  Your  coat  on  the 
left  side  does  look  more  padded  than  on  the 
other  side,"  said  Mr.  Seaborn. 

Dick  thrust  his  hand  far  down  into  a  pocket 
on  the  left  side,  and  drew  it  out  again ;  his 


THE   SAUCY    CLEKK.  63 

face,  which  had  been  pale  from  the  loss  of 
blood,  becoming  suddenly  very  red. 

"  Tell  the  truth ;  what  do  you  find  there  ?"• 
said  Mr.  Seaborn. 

Dick  thrust  his  hand  again  into  the  depth  of 
a  capacious  pocket,  and  drew  out,  reluctantly, 
the  identical  silk  handkerchief,  about  which 
he  had  been  making  such  a  tremendous  fuss. 
"Indeed,  indeed,  Mr.  Seaborn,"  said  he, 
sheepishly,  "  I  thought,  I  thought  that  fellow 
had  stolen  it.  This  is  a  new  coat,  and  I  forgot 
it  had  that  plaguy  deep  pocket  in  it." 

The  officer  patted  Lewis  on  the  back, 
saying,  "  I  said,  ^you  had  taken  it,  I  knew  it 
was  a  first  offence.  I  am  too  used  to  rascals 
not  to  know  you  were  telling  a  straight  story." 

"  And  I  don't  know  that  I  ever  heard  a 
better  joke,"  said  Mr.  Seaborn,  laughing  im 
moderately.  "  You  well  deserve  the  bruised 
nose,  Dick,  and  something  worse.  I  don't 
know  what  might  have  been  the  consequences 
to  this  poor  fellow  if  he  had  not  had  his  wits 
about  him.  What  amends  are  you  to  make 
to  ,the  lad?  You  ought  humbly  to  ask  his 
pardon." 

Dick  sulked  and  said  nothing. 

"  It's  the  least  you  can  do  for  all  the  trou 
ble  you  have  given  ;  ask  it  immediately." 


64:  GET   MONEY. 

"  Beg  pardon,"  blurted  out  Dick.     . 

"It  is  granted;  but  whether  he  ask  my 
pardon  or  not,  he  must  feel  sorry  to  have 
brought  such  a  mean  accusation  against  any 
one.  I  am  sorry  for  the  bruised  nose  I  gave 
him  in  defending  myself,  Lewis  said." 

"  You  did  right,"  replied  Mr.  Seaborn ; 
"  the  nose  will  in  time  come  to  its  natural 
color ;  I  fear  the  dashy  waistcoat  never  will ; 
and  that  would  grieve  Dick  most  prodigious 
ly,"  remarked  the  facetious  Mr.  Seaborn. 

"  Why,  sir,  the  waistcoat  cost  eight  dol 
lars,"  whined  out  Dick,  dolorously. 

The  police  officer  now  left,  laughing  heart!-" 
ly  as  he  passed  through  the  long  store,  and 
said  to  the  clerks,  who  had  all  this  time  been 
aching  with  intense  curiosity : 

"  As  Mr.  Seaborn  says,  a  capital  joke ! 
The  fellow  with  the  bloody  nose  had  his  hand 
kerchief  all  the  while  in  his  own  pocket." 

At  which  there  was  a  complete  shout  of 
laughter. 

"  Dick,"  said  Mr.  Seaborn,  laying  a  heavy 
hand  on  his  shoulder,  "you  make  a  sorry 
figure  enough ;  go  and  make  yourself  fit  to 
take  your  place  behind  the  counter ;  another 
time  be  careful  how  you  treat  honest  people 
who  come  to  my  store;  and  I  advise  you, 


THE    SAUCY    CLKEK.  C5 

Dick  Moland,  not  to  judge  of  man  or   boy 
again  by  the  basket  he  carries !" 

As  soon  as  Dick  Moland  had  left  the 
counting  room,  Mr.  Seaborn  said  to  Lewis: 

"  Now,  my  lad,  tell  me  your  story  briefly, 
for  1  have  taken  quite  a  fancy  to  you." 

Lewis  related  his  simple  story  in  as  few 
words  as  possible,  to  which  Mr.  Seaborn 
patiently  listened,  and  when  Lewis  had  finish 
ed,  he  remarked  : 

"  Quite  interesting,  my  lad ;  a  very  good 
story  and  very  well  told.  You  may  go  now. 
I  hope  you  will  find  a  situation,  for  I  have 
no  doubt  you  deserve  one.  Good  morning." 

Thus  the  facetious  Mr.  Seaborn  dismissed 
the  poor  boy  with  mere  words — for  he  was  a 
man  of  words  and  not  of  deeds. 

As  Lewis  passed  through  the  store,  which 
was  now  crowded  with  customers,  he  saw 
Dick  Moland  behind  the  counter,  with  a 
large,  black  patch  on  his  nose.  Dick  was 
measuring  lace  for  a  young  lady,  with  the 
most  obsequious  manner,  saying : 

"Indeed,  miss,  you  have  excellent  taste, 
this  is  the  most  beautiful  lace  we  have  in  our 
store.  'Pon  me  honor,  it  is  !" 

"  I  should  never  do  for  a  dry-goods  clerk," 
thought  Lewis. 

6* 


66  GET   MONEY. 

If  he  could  have  read  the  young  lady's 
opinion  of  that  particular  clerk,  it  would  have 
been  somewhat  as  follows : 

"  What  a  conceited,  affected,  little  dandy 
this  is !  How  I  hate  to  make  purchases  of 
such  a  silly  body.  I  am  right  glad  all  clerks 
are  not  like  him." 

Lewis  turned  from  crowded  Washington 
street,  and  found  his  way  among  the  large 
warehouses  near  the  docks.  They  looked  so 
quiet  after  the  noise  and  bustle  which  he  had 
just  left,  that  he  thought,  "  This  is  not  the 
place  for  much  business."  In  that  he  was 
greatly  mistaken.  They  were  the  warehouses 
of  the  famous  importing  merchants  of  Bos 
ton. 

He,  however,  entered  one  of  these  immense 
buildings,  where  he  saw  only  a  few  porters 
trundling  bales  to  drays  in  the  street. 

As  Lewis  stood  gazing  curiously  at  the 
rough  men  thus  employed,  a  gentleman  came 
from  a  far-off  inner  apartment,  and  accosted 
him : 

"  Well,  my  lad,  are  you  seeking  for  some 
one  here  ?" 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  said  Lewis,  taking  off  his 
hat,  and  making  that  ingratiating  bow ;  "  I 
do  not  know  whether  this  is  a  place  where  I 


TIIL    SAUCY   CLERK.  67 

should  be  likely  to  find  what  I  am  seeking. 
I  would  like  to  be  employed  as  a  merchant's 
clerk." 

"  A  merchant's  clerk !  You  look  young  for 
that  employment,"  replied  the  gentleman, 
giving  Lewis  a  scrutinizing  glance. 

"  I  am  too  young,  and  not  strong  enough  to 
be  employed  as  these  men  are ;  I  do  not 
know  what  kind  of  a  store  this  is,  either. 
Could  I  see  the  owner  ?" 

"I  am  the  owner  of  this  warehouse;  you 
may  come  into  my  counting-room ;  I  can 
spend  a  few  minutes  to  inquire  what  kind  of 
a  clerkship  you  are  seeking  for."  So  saying, 
the  stranger  turned,  and  as  Lewis  followed 
him  through  the  long  warehouse,  he  had  time 
to  notice  and  admire  the  gentleman's  tall, 
erect  person,  and  dignified  air  and  carriage. 
The  merchant's  countenance  was  grave,  almost 
stern.  But  when  the  mouth,  which  usually 
expressed  firmness  and  decision,  relaxed  to 
a  smile,  displaying  an  even  row  of  well-kept 
teeth,  the  expression  was  remarkably  mild 
and,  kindly;  inspiring  unbounded  confidence 
in  the  bosom  of  all  but  the  world- worn,  ren 
dered  suspicious  by  habitual  intercourse  with 
bad  men. 

The  iron-grey  of  the  merchant's  hair  proved 


68  GET   MONEY. 

that  the  summer  of  his  life  was  past ;  his  fore 
head  was  ample,  but  rather  broad  than  high 
— his  chin  as  ample,  and  somewhat  projecting, 
completing  the  expression  of  strength  and  de 
cision  which  marked  his  whole  physiog 
nomy. 

Mr.  Lawton,  Moses  Lawton,  well  known  on 
'change,  now  opened  the  door  to  a  counting- 
room,  where  half  a  dozen  clerks  were  standing 
at  high  desks,  busily  employed  with  their 
pens.  Not  an  eye  glanced  towards  Mr.  Law- 
ton  and  Lewis  as  they  passed ;  each  clerk  knew 
that  in  that  place  he  must  mind  his  own  busi 
ness. 

Passing  through  this  large  counting-room, 
Mr.  Lawton  opened  another  door,  and  admit 
ted  Lewis  into  a  smaller  apartment,  appropri 
ated  to  the  merchant's  own  use.  This  room 
was  neatly  furnished,  with  morocco-covered 
sofa  and  chairs,  a  handsome  black  walnut 
writing-desk,  above  which  hung  well-filled 
book-shelves,  and. around  upon  the  wall,  were 
several  fine  prints  of  steamers  and  sailing  ves 
sels,  in  black  and  gilt  frames. 

Lewis  stood,  hat  in  hand,  before  the  mer 
chant,  whose  countenance  had  assumed  its 
usual  gravity  as  he  commenced  a  formal  ex 
amination  of  the  stranger-lad : 


THE    SAUCY    CLERK.  69 

"  Your  name,  age,  place  of  residence,  and 
qualifications  for  a  clerkship  ?"  demanded  he, 
promptly. 

Lewis  answered  the  former  questions  clearly 
and  definitely,  but  when  he  came  to  the  last, 
hesitatingly  said :  "  I  confess,  sir,  I  do  not 
know  exactly  what  qualifications  are  needed 
for  a  clerkship  in  this,  or,  indeed,  any  other 
merchant's  establishment." 

"  Can  you  write  a  good  hand  ?" 

Lewis  drew  a  letter  from  his  pocket,  ad 
dressed  to  his  mother,  saying, 

"  Here  is  a  specimen  of  my  writing,  hastily 
penned  last  night,  after  a  fatiguing  day." 

Mr.  Lawton  carefully  put  on  his  spectacles, 
and  scrutinized  the  address. 

"  I  am  going  to  make  a  very  singular  re 
quest,"  said  he,  "  one  which  would  not  be  justi 
fied,  only  under  peculiar  circumstances.  This 
letter  is  unsealed — will  you  allow  me  to  read 
it?" 

u  Certainly,  if  you  wish  it — though,  as  I 
said  before,  it  was  written  late  at  night,  and  I 
fear,  carelessly." 

"  Then,  my  lad,  take  a  seat." 

Mr.  Lawton  immediately  read  the  following 
letter  : 


70  GET   MONEY. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Lenning — care  of  Rev.  John  Scqfield, 
Waterville. 

MY  DEAR  AND  HONORED  MOTHER — I  informed  you  in  my 
last,  of  our  safe  arrival,  and  of  our  being  able  to  procure  im 
mediately  a  house,  which  I  hope  in  time  to  render  com 
fortable  for  you. 

Lottie  and  our  faithful  Polly  have  already  arranged  your 
room,  with  the  furniture  saved  from  the  wreck  of  our  house 
hold  (as  I  may  term  it),  and  I  hope,  my  dear,  good  mother, 
you  will  not  miss  what  has  gone,  very  much. 

Our  sweet  Lottie  is  cheerful  as  a  bird,  excepting  when  she 
sighs  after  her  absent  mother ;  she  soothes  and  encourages 
me  continually.  I  cannot  be  thankful  enough  to  our  Hea 
venly  Father,  for  giving  me  such  an  excellent  mother  and 
such  a  lovely  sister.  What  would  all  the  wealth  of  the 
world  be  in  comparison  ? 

I  am  sorry  to  tell  you,  dear  mother,  that  I  have  not  yet 
found  employment.  A  stranger  in  a  strange  city,  I  wan 
dered  from  place  to  place,  for  many  hours  to-day,  and  every 
situation  seemed  already  occupied.  I  will  not  despair,  but 
put  my  trust  in  that  same  good  Providence  which  has  led  us 
safely  through  many  trials,  and  sustained  your  heart  when 
almost  ready  to  break.  I  have  health  and  strength,  and 
God  grant  that  I  may  devote  them  to  your  service.  I  can 
never  repay  you  for  a  thousandth  part  of  what  you  have 
done  for  me.  I  know  I  ha.ve  your  earnest  prayers,  dear 
mother,  and  that  thought  is  most  consoling  to  your  loving 
and  grateful  son, 

LEWIS  LENNING. 

P.S. —  Lottie  sends  love,  and  will  write  (D.  V.)  to-mor- 


Mr.  Lawton  took  off  his  spectacles  and 
wiped  them  carefully — they  were  blurred — 


THE    SAUCY    CLERK.  71 

and  so  were  his  eyes.  He  had  himself  been  a 
loving  and  dutiful  son  to  a  widowed  mother, 
who  was  now  in  the  "  better  land." 

After  a  moment's  pause,  he  returned  the 
letter,  and  said,  in  a  voice  tremulous  with 
emotion ; 

"  I  thank  you  for  the  confidence  you  have 
placed  in  me.  It  was  a  strange  request  to 
make ;  but  I  thought  I  could  discover  more 
of  character  in  a  letter  from  a  boy  to  his 
mother,  than  in  almost  any  other  way.  Are 
you  a  good  arithmetician  ?" 

"  I  was  prepared  in  arithmetic  and  algebra 
to  enter  college,  but  I  do  not  know  what  you 
would  call  a  good  arithmetician,  sir.  I  do  not 
understand  book-keeping  by  double  entry — but 
with  application  could  I  not  soon  acquire  it  ?" 

"  No  doubt  you  could.  I  like  your  mo 
desty  and  frankness." 

Just  as  Mr.  Lawton  uttered  the  last  word, 
there  was  a  quick  rap  at  the  door  opening  to 
the  counting-room. 

"  Come  in." 

The  door  was  opened  by  a  clerk,  with  a  pen 
behind  his  ear,  who  thrust  in  his  curly  head, 
and  beckoned  to  Mr.  Lawton,  saying,  "  If  you 
please,  sir,  I  would  speak  with  you  imme 
diately." 


72  GET   MONEY. 

"  You  can  come  in." 

"  No  sir,  I  have  something  private  to  say 
to  you." 

Mr.  Lawton  stepped  to  the  door,  and  the 
clerk,  without  closing  it  said,  "  That  boy  is  a 
thief,  I  saw  him  in  the  hands  of  a  policeman 
this  morning — he  stole  a  lot  of  handkerchiefs 
from  a  store  in  Washington  street. 

"You  saw  him  yourself!  Are  you  sure!" 
exclaimed  Mr.  Lawton. 

"  I  am  positive — I  knew  him  the  moment 
he  came  in,  and  have  kept  my  eye  on  him 
through  this  glass  door,  ever  since  he  came  in, 
for  fear  he  might  take  something  from  you, 
sir." 

"That  was  prudent;  but  keep  this  matter  to 
yourself ;"  so  saying  Mr.  Lawton  closed  the 
door,  and  turning  round,  drew  up  his  tall  per 
son  to  its  utmost  height,  and  looked  at  Lewis 
with  a  grave  countenance,  in  which,  however, 
pity  seemed  mingled  with  sorrow  and  aston 
ishment. 

Lewis  rose,  pale  as  death,  and  trembling 
with  intense  emotion ;  without  waiting  for  a 
word  from  Mr.  Lawton,  he  exclaimed — 

"  Oh !  sir,  can  you  believe  me  capable  of 
such  a  crime  ?" 

"  You  heard,  then,  of  what  you  are  accused 


THE   SAUCY   CLERK.  73 

— perhaps  you  have  been  tempted  beyond  mea 
sure,  by  poverty." 

"  No  sir,"  interrupted  Lewis,  "  never  to 
commit  such  an  odious  offence,  thank  God.  I 
cannot  bear  that  you,  sir,  whom  1  already  re 
spect,  should  believe  me  capable  of  such  mean 
ness.  Don't  look  at  me,  sir,  as  though  you 
believed  it !  My  character  is  my  all ;  indeed, 
sir,  my  good  name  is  all  I  have  to  depend  on, 
and  I  am  likely  to  lose  it  through  this  foolish 
blunder.  Oh,  my  poor  mother  and  my  dear 
Lottie !  "What  would  they  say,  to  see  me  in 
such  a  condition !" 

Here  the  boy's  feelings  completely  overcame 
him,  and  he  burst  into  tears. 

"  Whose  blunder  was  it,  my  lad  ?"  gently 
inquired  Mr.  Lawton. 

Encouraged  by  the  mildness  of  Mr.  Law- 
ton's  manner,  Lewis  related  as  briefly  as  pos 
sible,  the  unfortunate  occurrences  of  the  morn 
ing,  and  concluded  by  entreating  Mr.  Lawton 
to  send  immediately  to  Mr.  Seaborn,  to  in 
quire  about  the  matter. 

,  "  Dick  Moland  is  my  own  nephew,  a  heed 
less,  silly  fellow.  You  shall  have  justice.  I 
had  important  business  to  attend  to  this  morn 
ing,  but  it  must  wait  while  so  important  a 
thing  as  reputation  is  at  stake." 
7 


74  GET   MONEY. 

When  Mr.  Lawton  had  written  a  hasty  note 
to  Mr.  Seaborn,  and  dispatched  it,  he  handed 
Lewis  a  volume  of  Marshall's  Life  of  "Wash 
ington,  telling  him  to  employ  himself  with 
that,  till  the  messenger  returned  with  Mr. 
Seaborn's  reply.  He  then  turned  to  his  desk 
and  wrote. 

Lewis,  conscious  that  he  should  soon  be  re 
lieved  from  the  vile  imputation,  became  inter 
ested  and  absorbed  in  the  book,  till  the  porter 
brought  in  Mr.  Seaborn's  letter,  which  ran  as 
follows : 

HIGHLY  RESPECTED  SIR— I  am  sorry  the  mistake  made  by 
your  nephew  has  come  to  your  knowledge.  You  know,  that 
young  gent  is  somewhat  lofty  in  his-  notions,  and  quite 
dressy — i.  e.  begging  your  pardon — he  likes  to  make  a  fine 
appearance.  It  seems  young  Moland  had  lately  purchased 
himself  one  superior  pocket  handkerchief — I  alwaj'S  buy 
mine  by  the  dozen,  and  I  have  no  doubt,  honored  sir,  that 
you  do  the  same,  or  perhaps  more.  I  have  a  fine  assort 
ment  on  hand,  and  young  Moland  had  selected  the  one 
from  it,  and  paid  $1  25  for  it.  It  seems  he  made  a  great 
flourish  with  this  same  handkerchief  before  a  country  lad 
who  came  into  my  store  with  a  huge  basket  on  his  arm,  and 
said  he  wanted  a  situation  as  clerk  in  iny  store.  Young 
Moland  took  offence  at  the  boy  and  basket,  and  turned  them 
out.  Soon  after,  young  Moland  missed  the  beloved  hand 
kerchief  and  immediately  suspected  (as  was  very  natural), 
the  country  lad.  So  the  next  day,  that  is,  this  present 
morning,  as  country  lad  was  passing,  young  Moland  grabbed 
him  and  accused  him  with  theft.  At  which  country  lad 


THE   SAUCY   CLERK.  75 

smashed  young  Moland's  nose  against  a  lamp-post,  which 
gave  it  a  tremendous  bruise,  and  set  it  a  bleeding.  One  of 
the  police  seeing  the  fray,  came  up  immediately,  and  seized 
country  lad.  A  crowd  gathered  immediately.  I  came  to 
the  spot  in  time,  for  with  my  usual  coolness,  (a  great  gift, 
for  which  I  trust  I  am  duly  thankful),  I  dispersed  the  crowd, 
and  took  upon  myself  to  examine  into  the  whole  matter. 
Moland  stated  his  case — country  lad  his;  in  short — to  be 
brief — young  Moland  discovered  that  he  had  made  an 
egregious  blunder,  the  identical  handkerchief  was  safely 
tucked  away  in  his  own  bosom-pocket,  and  I  hope,  honored 
sir,  considering  your  nephew  is  young  and  flighty,  and  not 
accustomed  to  a  bosom-pocket,  you  will  excuse  him.  I 
should  be  sorry  if  any  harm  came  to  him  through  country 
lad,  who  seemed  a  good  sort  of  fellow  enough,  only  some 
what  hasty. 

Yours  to  command,  with  respect  and  esteem, 

THEODOSIUS  SEABORN. 

Mr.  Lawton  threw  the  letter  aside  with  an 
indignant  "  Pshaw  !  obsequious  creature !" 
Then  turning  to  Lewis,  who  was  again  absorbed 
in  the  book,  he  said,  "Iain  most  happy  to  say, 
I  believe  you  to  be  perfectly  honest.  I  am 
seldom  deceived  in  my  first  impressions,  and 
I  read  your  frank  countenance  aright.  I  must 
say,  with  the  poet  Southey,  I  cannot  remember 
the  time  when  I  was  not  a  physiognomist.  I 
shall  see  that  justice  is  done  to  you,  fully. 
You  mentioned  that  you  had  begun  gardening. 
Can  you  employ  yourself  profitably  for  a 


76  GET  MONEY. 

few  days  in  digging  and  planting  your  gar 
den?" 

"  I  can,  sir ;  only  I  ought  to  be  looking  out 
for  a  permanent  place." 

"  Leave  that  to  me.  Here  are  some  seeds 
I  have  just  purchased  for  my  own  garden. 
Take  these  papers,  there  are  some  flower- 
seeds  for  your  sister  among  them.  You  told 
me  you  had  paid  a  quarter's  rent  in  advance. 
I  hope — I  trust — you  did  not  exhaust  your 
funds  by  so  doing;  if  so,  I  will  lend  you" — 

Lewis,  without  giving  Mr.  Lawton  time  to 
finish,  replied,  "Thank  you,  sir,  I  do  not  need 
money  for  the  present ;  I  am  much  obliged  to 
you  for  the  seeds,  and  I  am  sure  my  sister  will 
be  quite  delighted.  When  may  I  call  here 
again  ?" 

"  Let  me  see — three  days  from  this,  at  ten 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  Knock  at  this  side 
door;  it  leads  into  an  alley,  which  will  take 
you  directly  to  Washington  street."  So  say 
ing,  Mr.  Lawton  opened  the  door  and  pointed 
out  the  way. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  have  trespassed  so  long  on 
your  valuable  time,  sir.  Good  morning,"  said 
Lewis. 

"It  could  not  be  avoided.  I  must  make 
up  the  loss  out  of  you  one  of  these  days," 


THE    SAUCY    CLERK.  77 

replied  Mr.  Lawton,  with  his  peculiar  smile, 
which  sent  a  warm  glow  to  the  heart  of  the 
poor  boy.  There  was  no  falsity  in  that  smile. 
Mr.  Lawton  immediately  wrote  and  dis 
patched  two  letters,  one  to  the  Eev.  John 
Scofield,  the  other  to  Mrs.  Sarah  Lenning. 


7* 


CHAPTER   VII. 

GARDENING. 

AFTER  having  made  a  few  needful  pur 
chases,  Lewis  hastened  homeward,  pondering 
as  he  went  on  the  events  of  the  morning. 

"  Mr.  Lawton — Moses  Lawton !  Can  this 
gentleman  be  the  celebrated  Boston  merchant 
who  was  once  a  poor  boy,  much  poorer  even 
than  I  am  now !" 

Yes,  Lewis,  the  very  same.  Mr.  Lawton 
made  his  immense  fortune  honestly  and  hon 
orably,  and  now  spends  it  with  the  munifi 
cence  of  a  prince  in  a  fairy  tale,  and  at  the 
same  time  with  the  good  sense  and  discrimi 
nation  of  a  shrewd  man  of  business. 

Take  courage,  boy;  he  promised  you  no 
thing,  for  he  is  not  that  weedy  garden,  a  man 
of  words,  but,  emphatically,  a  man  of  deeds. 

Lewis  Lenning  merely  wanted  some  one  to 
put  him  in  the  way  of  helping  himself — a 

T8 


GARDENING.  79 

Hercules  to  tell  him  where  to  put  his  shoul 
der — and  he  would  tug  away  at  the  wheel 
right  heartily. 

When  he  reached  home,  Lottie  had  just 
finished  patching  the  old  coat. 

"Is  it  possible  your  little  delicate  fingers 
have  done  that?"  exclaimed  Lewis. 

"  It  was  Polly's  suggestion,"  replied  Lottie  ; 
"she  is  so  thrifty.  She  says  this  will  save 
your  better  coat  when  you  work  in  the  gar 
den." 

"That  it  will,  darling ;  and  I  will  put  it  on 
immediately  after  dinner — a  late  dinner  it  is. 
1  am  sorry  to  have  kept  you  waiting  so  long." 

While  they  were  at  dinner,  Lewis  told  Lottie 
of  his  meeting  with  Mr.  Lawton — the  gift  of 
the  seeds,  and  the  request  to  have  him  call 
again  after  three  days.  He  said  nothing  of  his 
other  adventures,  knowing  the  sensitive  heart 
of  his  sister  would  be  excessively  pained  by 
the  recital. 

"Here  are  mignonette — the    Frenchman's 

O 

darling — and  white  candy-tuft — one  of  my 
own  darlings,  and  bachelor's  buttons,  red  and 
white — delightful !  and  ever  so  many  more. 
Oh,  Lewis  !  how  kind  and  thoughtful  your 
new  friend  must  be,"  said  Lottie,  as  she  exa 
mined  the  parcel  of  seeds. 


80  GET  MONEY. 

Lewis  put  on  the  patched  coat  and  went  to 
the  garden  with  Lottie. 

"  I  am  going  to  dig  this  large  square  in  the 
corner  for  corn.  I  shall  have  two  hours  still 
before  sunset  to  make  a  beginning." 

"  And  I  will  go  and  get  a  book,  and  bring 
out  a  chair,  and  sit  and  read  to  you  while 
you  work." 

"Just  like  you,  Lottie  —  cultivating  the 
mind  and  heart  as  well  as  the  garden." 

"  I  have  brought  one  of  dear  mother's  favo 
rites,  <  Cowper's  Task,'  and  will  read  to  you 
what  he  says  about  gardening,"  said  Lottie,  as 
she  came  back  shawled  and  bonneted,  the 
chair  and  book  in  her  hands. 

And  thus  the  brother  worked,  while  the  sis 
ter  read  and  chatted  till  sunset. 

Polly  had  asked  to  go  and  see  the  Museum 
in  Boston,  which  she  said  she  had  "often 
hearn  tell  on."  When  she  returned  she  said 
not  a  word  about  the  Museum,  but  much 
about  a  wonderful  story  of  the  Haunted  House, 
which  she  had  heard  from  one  of  Mr.  Fergu 
son's  servants. 

While  setting  the  tea  table,  Polly  said  :  "  The 
chambermaid  told  me  how  this  house  had 
been  haunted  by  spooks  for  years  and  years. 
Sometimes  the  spook  was  a  white  one  with 


GARDENING.  81 

fiery  eyes,  and  went  sliding  and  gliding  from 
room  to  room;  then  again  he  appeared  just 
like  the  murdered  miser  himself,  and  stood  at 
the  window  looking  at  the  moon ;  then  again, 
it  seemed  to  be  Old  Nick  himself — horns, 
hoofs  and  all.  It  was  always  the  miser,  watch 
ing  over  the  money  hid  in  this  very  house, 
where  nobody  has  been  able  to  find  it." 

"  I  hope,  Polly,  you  were  not  troubled  by 
this  foolish  story,"  remarked  Lewis,  gravely. 

"No,  not  I;  I  wasn't  brought  up  in  the 
woods  to  be  scared  at  an  owl — nor  a  spook 
either." 

As  they  were  at  table,  Lewis  and  Lottie 
continued  the  conversation  suggested  by  Pol 
ly's  story. 

"  I  cannot  conceive  how  a  being,  with  the 
soul  of  a  man,  could  find  his  only  pleasure  in 
amassing  money,  just  for  the  sake  of  counting 
it  and  gloating  over  it,"  remarked  Lewis. 

Lottie  responded : 

"The  child  who  gathers  its  apron  full  of 
daisies  and  dandelions,  and  rejoices  over  them 
as  precious  treasures,  has  some  reason  for  it — 
they  are  beautiful  in  themselves.  But  of  all 
ugly  things,  what  is  more  ugly  than  a  worn, 
soiled  bank-note,  which  has  passed  through 
hundreds  of  hands." 


82  GET 


"  Yes,  Lottie,  dear  ;  yet,  when  you  see  a 
handsome  X  on  the  bank  note,  it  has  a  very 
attractive  appearance.  There  is  a  charm  about 
it  which  few  are  able  to  resist.  I  do  not  love 
money  for  its  own  sake,  yet  I  am  anxious  to 
possess  enough  to  place  our  mother  in  a  neat, 
well-furnished  house  —  with  a  good  library  — 
and  to  give  you  a  piano  and  good  masters  for 
music  and  modern  languages." 

Lottie  interrupted  Lewis  with  a  merry  laugh 
—  "  Really,  brother,  you  have  large  desires  ; 
take  care  they  don't  tempt  you  to  make  mo 
ney  in  some  way  that  is  not  respectable." 

"I  don't  know,  sister,  what  you  mean  by 
respectable.  I  hope  you  have  not  the  mistaken 
notion  that  a  man  cannot  be  respectable  with 
out  a  liberal,  or  rather  a  collegiate  education, 
such  as  I  once  expected  to  have." 

"  Oh  no,  brother  —  no,  indeed  —  I  only  mean 
that  I  trust  a  pressure  for  money  would  not 
induce  you  to  be  a  bar-keeper,  or  a  clerk  in  a 
grocery  store,  to  sell  crurn,  brandy,  gin.'  " 

"  Certainly  not  ;  you  know  I  am,  from  prin 
ciple,  an  out-and-out  temperance  man.  Our 
miser,  it  is  said,  was  a  total  abstinence  man  ; 
he  starved  himself  to  death,  because  provisions 
were  so  dear." 

"And   these    credulous   people   think   the 


GARDENING.  83 

miser-able  man  still  watches  over  his  beloved 
money !" 

"I  was  just  thinking,  sister,  that  miserable 
must  have  come  from  miser,  though  now  it 
has  a  wider  meaning.  Surely  a  miser  must 
be,  in  the  sense  in  which  the  word  is  now 
used,  the  most  miserable  of  human  beings. 
His  talents  are  truly  hid  in  a  napkin." 

"  Talents,  brother !  a  miser  cannot  be  a  man 
of  tal-ents.  Only  men  who  possess  mind,  ge 
nius,  beautiful  spiritual  gifts,  are  talented." 

"The  word  talent  was  undoubtedly  taken 
from  the  ancient  measure  of  gold  or  silver. 
You  know  the  parable  of  'the  ten  talents.' 
Now,  all  gifts  which  we  receive  from  our 
heavenly  Father  are  called  talents  : — genius, 
good  sense,  influence,  beauty,  station,  wealth, 
or  whatever  else  it  may  be;  yet,  I  confess, 
when  we  speak  of  talents,  we  generally  mean 
• — what  seems  to  you  the  true  meaning — gifts 
of  mind." 

"Ah,  brother,  certainly  you  prefer  mind  to 
money — genius  to  high  station.77 

"  Yes ;  but  mind  is  the  stepping-stone  to 
money,  and  genius  to  high  station.  I  trust  I 
have  mind  enough  to  make  money,  when  I 
have  the  opportunity ;  and  as  for  genius,  that 
is  your  gift :  I  have  not  a  spark  of  it  myself." 


84  GET   MONEY. 

"  Brother,  dear,  you  are  too  partial  to  your 
little  sister.  My  late  attempt  at  poetry  has 
convinced  me  that,  if  I  am  ever  to  soar  to  the 
empyrean,  I  am  at  present  as  unfledged  as  the 
poor  little  robins  I  saw  to-day  in  their  nest." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

MORRISON     FERGUSON. 

As  Lewis  was  the  next  morning  busily  working 
in  his  garden,  he  heard  an  unusual  noise  which 
seemed  to  come  from  the  road  in  front  of  the 
house.  Rake  in  hand,  he  ran  out  of  the  front 
gate.  There  was  Morrison  Ferguson  beating 
a  small  boy,  who  defended  himself,  without 
attempting  to  strike  back  again.  Half  a  dozen 
other  boys  stood  around,  clapping  and  urging 
on  the  fight,  as  though  the  combatants  were 
bull-dogs.  LewTis  threw  down  the  rake,  and 
seizing  Morrison  by  both  shoulders,  forcibly 
drew  him  off,  exclaiming,  with  extreme  indig 
nation,  "  Shame  on  you,  coward !  to  fight  with 
a  boy  not  half  as  large  as  yourself." 

"What  right  have  you  to  interfere,  and  to 

call  me  coward  ?"  fiercely  demanded  Morrison, 

struggling   to  free   himself.     When   he   had 

done  so,  placing  himself  at  a  safe  distance 

8  86 


86  GET   MONEY. 

from  Lewis,  he  sliook  his  fist  at  him,  saying, 
"  Call  me  coward  again,  if  you  dare." 

"  I  shall,  if  you  are  so  mean  as  to  beat  that 
poor  little  fellow  again,"  replied  Lewis,  an 
grily. 

"  You  will,  will  you,  thief!"  exclaimed  one 
of  the  lookers-on.  You  are  the  very  rascal  I 
saw  the  other  day  when  a  policeman  was 
dragging  you  off  to  prison." 

"That  is  a  mistake,"  calmly  replied  Lewis, 
though  every  nerve  thrilled  with  indigna 
tion. 

"Thief!"  exclaimed  Morrison  Ferguson. 
"Thief!  is  this  boy  a  thief ?" 

"  Yes,  to  be  sure  he  is ;  I  saw  him,  I  tell 
you,  with  these  two  eyes,  when  the  policeman 
had  nabbed  him,  and  was  taking  him  to 
prison  for  stealing  a  whole  lot  of  goods  out  of 
a  store  in  Washington  street." 

"A  mean  thief!  to  call  me  a  coward!  let's 
be  revenged  on  him,  boys  ;  come  on  !"  cried 
Morrison. 

"You  say  what  is  not  true,"  said  Lewis, 
becoming  more  flushed  and  more  passionate. 

"  Call  me  a  liar  will  you  !  mean  thief,  that 
you  are  !"  retorted  his  accuser,  doubling  up  a 
big  fist  and  thrusting  it  within  an  inch  of 
Lewis'  face,  while  all  the  others,  excepting 


MOKlilSON    FERGUSON.  87 

the  small  boy  who  had  been  rescued  from 
Morrison,  joined  in  the  cry,  "Thief!  thief!" 

"  Away  with  you  all,"  cried  Lewis,  seizing 
the  rake  and  flourishing  the  handle  towards 
them ;  "I  will  not  be  insulted  by  yon,"  he 
continued,  as  he  gave  full  chase  to  them. 

They  fled  before  him  like  a  flock  of  sheep, 
every  now  and  then  bawling  out,  "  Thief ! 
thief!" 

Lottie  had  followed  her  brother  to  the  front 
gate,  and  had  stood  by  in  mute  astonish 
ment.  She  now  ran  after  him  as  fast  as  she 
could,  shrieking  "  Lewis  !  Lewis  !  don't  strike 
them." 

Thus  recalled  to  himself,  Lewis  turned  back 
and  joined  his  sister. 

"  I  don't  wonder  you  are  angry,  brother," 
said  Lottie,  soothingly,  as  she  took  his  arm ; 
"  but  you  know  you  might  have  hurt  some  of 
those  cowardly  creatures  badly  with  the  rake 
handle.  What  did  they  mean  by  calling  you 
by  that  odious  name  ?" 

"  When  we  are  in  the  garden  I  will  tell  you," 
said  Lewis,  his  voice  almost  stifled  by  anger. 

By  the  time  he  reached  the  place  where  he 
had  been  raking,  when  he  heard  the  noise  in 
the  street,  his  rage  had  somewhat  cooled  ;  but 
the  furious  way  in  which  he  seized  a  spade 


88  GET   MONEY. 

and  continued  forcing  it  into  the  tougli  sod, 
helped  to  work  it  off  still  more  effectually ; 
after  a  few  minutes,  he  began  and  told  Lottie 
the  whole  history  of  his  mortifying  adventures 
in  the  city. 

Poor  Lottie  wept  vehemently.  Her  be 
loved  brother !  her  idol !  her  hero !  to  be 
accused  of  this  mean  wickedness ! 

"  To  be  thus  accused,  and  to  be  perfectly 
innocent,"  sobbed  out  the  sensitive  Lottie. 

"  Do  you  not  remember,  sister,  how  it  was 
said  to  a  good  man  who  was  condemned  to 
death  by  his  enemies — I  think  it  was  Socrates : 
'Alas!  that  you  should  be  condemned  being 
innocent.'  The  noble  reply  of  the  philosopher 
was,  '  "Would  you  have  me  die  guilty  /'  And 
a  greater  than  Socrates  was  put  to  death  with 
out  the  stain  of  a  single  sin." 

"  It  is  indeed  a  consolation  to  think  you  are 
perfectly  innocent  of  this  contemptible  crime, 
but  please,  Lewis,  never  tell  our  dear  mother 
of  this  vile  accusation  ;  it  would  break  her 
heart," 

"  I  can  safely  promise  you  not  to  speak  of  it 
unless  compelled  by  circumstances.  One  does 
not  willingly  tell  that  mud  has  been  thrown  at 
him  ;  but,  alas  !  if  mud  is  thrown,  some  of  it 
will  stick." 


CHAPTEE  IX. 

BURGLARS. 

THE  three  days  that  were  to  intervene  be 
fore  Lewis  called  again  on  Mr.  Lawton  passed 
pleasantly  and  profitably,  the  last  of  the  three 
being  Sunday.  It  was  rainy,  and  moreover  as 
they  were  entire  strangers  in  the  place,  Lewis 
and  Lottie  spent  it  at  home  in  conversation, 
reading,  meditation  and  devotional  exercises, 
making  it  indeed  a  "  sweet  day  of  rest,"  after 
the  toils  and  trials  of  the  week.  The  night 
which  followed  was  dark  and  rainy — a  quiet, 
drizzling  rain  ;  an  excellent  thing,  Lewis  said, 
for  the  garden,  as  he  bade  Lottie  "  good 
night." 

.AJbout  midnight  Lewis  was  awakened  from 
profound  sleep  by  unusual  noises  in  the  house. 
He  sprang  out  of  bed  and  carefully  opening 
the  door  of  his  room  heard  the  sound  of  men's 
voices,  which  evidently  came  from  the  kitchen. 
8*  •» 


90  GET   MONET. 

He  dressed  liimself  as  quickly  as  possible, 
stole  carefully  down  stairs  and  through  the 
entry  to  the  kitchen  door.  In  this  door  were 
two  small  panes  of  glass,  which  Ijad  been 
placed  there  for  the  purpose  of  observation, 
either  for  one  who  wished  to  watch  the  kitchen 
from  without,  or  the  front  door  from  within. 
Lewis  had  now  a  full  view  of  three  men,  who 
from  a  dark  lantern  had  lighted  a  candle, 
poured  the  tallow  on  a  table  and  stuck  the 
candle  upright  upon  it. 

"  This  kitchen  does  not  look  as  it  did  six 
months  since,"  said  a  young  man,  dressed  in  a 
blue  coat  with  brass  buttons,  and  checked 
pantaloons,  of  a  large  pattern.  He  continued, 
"  We  had  a  thorough  search  then,  but  did  not 
pull  up  the  floors." 

"  I  should  think  by  the  appearance  of  things 
that  people  lived  here,"  remarked  another 
young  man,  whose  face  was  concealed  by  a 
slouched  hat,  and  a  red  woollen  tippet,  and  his 
person  by  a  large,  light-colored  overcoat. 

"  Nobody  would  live  in  a  haunted  house," 
timidly  suggested  the  third,  whose  back  was 
turned  towards  Lewis,  so  that  he  could  not  see 
his  face,  and  did  not  particularly  observe  his 
dress. 

"The  old  fellow  died  and  left  all  standing," 


BURGLARS.  91 

said  the  first  speaker  ;  "  give  me  your  hatchet, 
Jem,  I  brought  only  a  saw." 

Slouched-hat  produced  a  hatchet  from  un 
der  the  huge  overcoat,  saying,  "  We  won't 
leave  the  house  till  we  find  some  of  old  Hunk's 
money,  for  everybody  knows  it  is  here,  and 
there's  been  as  much  search  for  it  as  there  ever 
was  for  Captain  Kidd's." 

.  "  But  everybody  has  not  the  courage  to 
come  after  it,  because  the  house  is  believed  to  be 
haunted,"  suggested  the  third,  in  a  voice  scarce 
ly  audible  from  fear. 

"  Oh,  you  are  a  cowardly,  superstitious  fel 
low,  you  ought  not  to  have  come  on  such  an 
expedition,"  exclaimed  the  first  speaker,  as  he 
proceeded  in  good  earnest  to  pry  up  one  of 
the  boards  of  the  kitchen  floor. 

From  this  imputation  of  cowardice,  Lewis 
took  a  hint.  He  flew  up  to  the  attic,  knocked 
gently  at  Polly's  door,  and  finding  she  was  al 
ready  awake,  said,  "Hush,  Polly — there  are 
thieves  in  the  house,  searching  for  the  miser's 
money.  Go,  and  awaken  Lottie,  make  her 
come  up  here,  and  lock  her  into  your  room. 
Then  make  all  the  noise  you  can  with  the 
old  rubbish  in  the  garret-room,  while  I  appear 
as  a  ghost,  below." 

Lewis  then  hastened  to  his  own  room — 


92  GET  MONEY. 

lighted  a  lamp  and  placed  it  in  a  large  tin 
lantern,  pierced  all  over  with  holes ;  then  he 
threw  one  sheet  over  his  shoulders — placed 
the  lantern  on  his  head,  threw  another  sheet 
over  the  lantern,  holding  it  on  firmly  by  the 
sheet ;  and  thus  equipped,  a  ghost  from  top  to 
toe — a  ghost  more  than  six  feet  tall,  with  an 
illuminated  head,  he  carefully  walked  down 
stairs. 

By  the  time  Lewis  was  ready,  Polly  had 
awakened  Lottie,  who  insisted  on  aiding  her  in 
making  a  noise. 

Polly  was  herself  startled  by  the  apparation 
she  encountered  in  the  upper  entry.  The 
light  of  the  lantern  gleamed  mysteriously 
through  the  white  covering;  and  as  Lewis 
stalked  along,  he  was  as  complete  a  ghost  as 
ever  was  manufactured  for  the  father  of  Ham 
let. 

As  Lewis  reached  the  door  of  the  kitchen, 
a  tremendous  noise  like  the  rumbling  of  thun 
der  and  explosions  of  supernatural  cannon, 
sounded  through  the  house. 

The  thieves,  startled  by  the  noise,  looked 
towards  the  door,  which  was  slowly  opened 
by  the  terrible  apparition.  The  draft  of 
air,  at  that  instant,  set  fire  to  the  upper  sheet, 
and  there  was  a  ghost  with  a  blazing  head. 


BUEGLAES.  93 

The  robbers  threw  down  hatchet  and  saw, 
and  fled  with  precipitation,  the  horrible 
noises  sounding  in  their  ears  as  they  fled. 

Lewis  snatched  off  the  sheet  .and  stamped 
out  the  fire.  He  then  extinguished  the  dark 
lantern,  and  the  candle  the  robbers  had  left 
on  the  table.  He  was  now  in  total  darkness, 
and  the  hideous  noises  were  sounding  through 
the  house.  A  moment  more,  and  there  was 
profound  silence.  He  began  to  wonder  what 
he  should  do  if  the  burglars  should  recov 
er  from  their  fright  and  return.  He  groped 
his  way  through  the  dark  hall,  over  a  mass  of 
rubbish,  and  ascended  the  staircase,  to  see 
what  had  become  of  Lottie  and  her  faithful 
aid,  who  had  succeeded  so  admirably  in 
making  supernatural  noises  by  thumping 
stove-pipes,  and  rolling  brass  kettles  down 
stairs. 

As  he  reached  the  second  flight  of  stairs 
leading  to  the  garret,  the  door  suddenly 
opened,  and  there  was  the  miser  himself,  with 
an  old  japanned  candlestick*  and  lighted  candle 
in'  one  hand,  and  a  stout  walking-stick  in  the 
other — arrayed  in  the  old  drab  coat,  brown 
shorts,  and  blue  yarn  stockings — a  frightful 
red  wig  was  surmounted  by  a  steeple-crowned 
felt  hat;  a  checked  handkerchief  tied  about 


94  GET   MONEY. 

the  chin,  concealed  the  lower  part  of  the  face 
— the  only  part  which  did  appear  being  white 
as — flour. 

Lewis,  for  a  single  moment,  was  almost  as 
much  startled  at  this  new  apparition  as  the 
thieves  had  been  at  the  ghost.  A  low,  pecu 
liar,  gurgling  laugh  from  the  seeming  miser, 
betrayed  Polly  Potts. 

Not  to  he  outdone  by  Lewis  in  driving  away 
housebreakers,  Polly  had  thus  arrayed  herself; 
if  need  be,  to  come  forward  to  his  assistance. 
Just  as  Lewis  recovered  from  his  surprise 
they  heard  the  gate  of  the  front  yard  shut. 
After  the  first  alarm  was  over,  the  burglar 
with  the  blue  coat  and  brass  buttons  declared 
that  the  ghost  was  nothing  but  a  humbug, 
and  he  would  not  lose  his  dark-lantern,  saw, 
and  hatchet  for  all  the  ghosts  in  the  uni 
verse.  He  would  go  back  for  them.  The 
others,  afraid  to  be  left  without  their  leader, 
followed.  They  had  forced  open  a  window- 
shutter  in  the  kitchen,  and  entered  through 
the  window — they  made  their  exit  in  the  same 
manner.  Lewis  had  closed  the  window,  but 
the  shutter  was  still  open.  Polly  dauntlessly 
walked  down  stairs,  and  on  hearing  a  noise  at 
the  window,  walked  up  to  it,  held  the  light 
to  the  faces  which  appeared  there,  and  shook 


BUKGLAES.  95 

the  stout  stick  at  the  housebreakers.  They 
disappeared  in  an  instant. 

Lewis  and  Lottie  peered  through  the  half- 
open  door  into  the  kitchen,  when  they  heard  the 
scampering  of  retreating  feet,  and  the  slam  of 
the  gate,  and  burst  into  uncontrollable  laughter 
at  the  droll  appearance  of  Polly  Potts. 

She  placed  her  small  light  on  the  table, 
nailed  down  the  board  which  had  been  loosen 
ed,  and  then  saying,  "  You  can  go  to  bed, 
children.  I  shall  sit  up  the  rest  of  the  night," 
deliberately  took  a  seat — and  her  knitting. 

"  No,  indeed,  Polly  ;  I  shall  stay  with  you," 
said  Lewis. 

"  So  shall  I,"  added  Lottie,  giggling,  as  she 
surveyed  the  droll  figure  before  -her,  who  sat 
there,  grave  as  an  owl,  knitting  a  blue  yarn 
stocking. 

"  Well,  if  you  say  so,  so  be  it ;  then  I  will 
light  a  fire,  and  we  will  have  a  cup  of  coffee, 
for  after  this  fright  and  plight,  we  need  some 
thing  comforting  and  relishing." 

"  Coffee !  we  don't  indulge  in  such  a  lux 
ury,'"  cried  Lewis. 

"Yes,  we  do  to-night,"  continued  Polly,  as 
she  lighted  the  fuel,  which  was  all  prepared 
for  the  morning.  "  Miss  Lottie,  please  set  the 
table.  Oh !  the  rascals  have  greased  my  beau- 


96  GET   MONEY. 

tiful  pine-table.  It  was  white  last  night  as  the 
sifted,  drifted  snow." 

"  Your  small  cherry-table  will  answer,"  said 
Lottie,  as  she  spread  a  clean  cloth  over  the 
smaller  table.  "  It's  quite  large  enough  for 
three  coffee-cups." 

"  And  a  plate  of  ginger-cakes,  and  some 
nice  cheese,"  said  Polly,  as  she  placed  them 
on  the  table.  "  You  see  now,"  she  continued, 
"  how  well  it  was  that  I  didn't  go  to  that 
Museum.  I  saved  my  twenty-five  cents  ad 
mittance,  because  I  didn't  want  to  gape  and 
gaze  at  such  ridiculous  things  as  they  had, 
pictured  out  by  the  door,  on  a  sheet  of  paper 
twice  as  large  as  that  table-cloth.  No,  says 
I,  you  don't  catch  me  with  such  traps;  and  so 
I  spent  my  twenty-five  cents  for  something 
that  yon'll  find  by  and  by,  when  it's  boiled, 
isn't  a  humbug." 

When  the  coffee  was  made,  Lewis  placed  three 
chairs  by  the  table,  saying  the  gentleman  of 
the  house  should  sit  at  the  head  of  his  own 
table. 

Polly,  without  a  word  of  remonstrance,  took 
the  offered  seat,  poured  out  coffee,  saying, 
very  seriously,  "  '  For  one  night  only,'  as  it 
said  on  one  of  them  big  sheets  of  paper — '  for 
one  night  only  '  Polly  Potts  plays  the  Miser. 


BURGLARS.  97 

This  awful  year,  good  coffee's  dear ;  this  cost 
a  shillin',  and  yet  I'm  willin'  you  should  drink 
to-night  after  this  drefful  fright,  and  eat  as 
much  as  you  please,  of  ginger-cookies  and 
cheese." 

As  she  handed  the  cakes  to  Lottie,  Polly's 
gravity  failed ;  she  burst  into  a  long,  gurgling 
laugh. 

"  What  is  the  matter  now  ?"  inquired  Lottie. 

"  Why,  Miss  Lottie,  the  fright,  to-night,  has 
turned  you  black,  instead  of  white.  Look, 
Mr.  Lewis,  isn't  she  black  as  the  chimbly- 
back?" 

"True,  Lottie,  you  look  like  a  chimney 
sweep." 

"  Very  likely,  for  in  thumping  the  stove 
pipe  in  your  room,  it  fell,  and  a  cloud  of  soot 
came  out,  which  almost  stifled  me.  I  shall 
let  my  face  alone  till  morning,  for  I  shall  not 
have  the  courage  to  go  to  my  own  room  till 
broad  daylight." 

"  You  ought  to  have  seen  your  brother  as 
he  appeared  to  me,  and  them  abominable  bur 
glars.  Why,  he  was  a  real  Jack-o'-lantern.  I 
shall  dream  of  it  for  years  to  come." 

"  I  wish  the  night  were  safely  over,"  said 
Lottie,  after  they  had  finished  the  relishing, 
comforting  meal. 

9 


98  GET  MONEY. 

"Go  to  sleep,  Lottie.  Here,  lean  on  my 
shoulder,"  said  Lewis. 

The  brother  and  sister  were  soon  quietly 
asleep.  Polly,  taking  her  knitting,  sat  up  by 
the  fireside  and  clattered  her  needles  till  the 
east  was  glowing  with  rosy  light.  She  then 
replaced  the  miser's  clothes  in  the  garret, 
gathered  up  the  brass  kettles  and  boxes  which 
had  performed  their  part  in  the  orchestra,  and 
carried  them  up  to  the  receptacle  of  old  E"ol- 
lins's  goods  and  chattels. 

Lewis  and  Lottie  slept  till  Polly  had  gotten 
breakfast  almost  ready,  and  then  she  awak 
ened  them,  saying,  "I  will  give  you  time  to 
wash  hands  and  faces,  before  I  have  breakfast 
on  the  table.  It  is  nearly  eight  o'clock." 

After  breakfast,  Lewis  went  back  to  his 
room,  intending  to  carry  the  stove-pipe  and 
stove  to  the  garret.  Out  of  one  of  the  stove 
pipes,  which  Lottie  had  vigorously  belabored 
with  a  pair  of  tongs,  a  pocket-book  had  fallen 
— an  old  brown  leather  pocket-book. 

Lewis  untied  the  faded  red  tape  which 
bound  it,  and  behold !  it  was  filled  with  bank 
notes ;  the  very  uppermost  was  a  $1,000 — one 
thousand  dollars ! 

The  stove  was  a  rusty  cast-iron  affair,  of  the 
kind  called  coffee-pot  stores.  Lewis  put  the 


BUEGLABS.  99 

pocket-book  into  his  pocket,  and  thought  he 
would  carry  stove  and  pipe  to  the  garret. 
He  found  the  stove,  though  small,  quite  too 
heavy  for  him ;  and  taking  off  the  lid,  re 
moved  some  of  the  anthracite  coal  with  which 
it  was  nearly  full — no,  indeed,  it  was  not  full 
of  coal,  for  having  removed  two  or  three  lay 
ers  of  it,  coins,  large  and  small,  of  gold  and 
silver,  began  to  gleam  between  the  interstices. 
The  stove  was  half  filled  with  money !  Re 
placing  the  coal  which  he  had  taken  out, 
Lewis  hastened  down  stairs  and  out  of  the 
house,  without  mentioning  his  discovery. 
Lottie,  at  her  brother's  entreaty,  had  gone  to 
take  a  nap,  and  Polly  was,  what  she  called 
"  tidying  up,"  in  the  kitchen. 

The  morning  was  clear  and  beautiful.  But 
Lewis  took  no  notice  of  the  sparkling  rain 
drops  which  glittered  on  each  tender  leaf  and 
opening  flower,  as  he  hastened  to  see  Mr. 
Ferguson. 

That  gentleman  was  just  leaving  his  house 
with  Anna  and  Morrison,  who  were,  as  usual, 
going  to  school  in  Boston. 

"  Good  morning,  sir  ;  I  wish  to  have  a  few 
moments'  private  conversation  with  you,"  said 
Lewis,  hurriedly. 


100  GET   MONEY. 

"No  need  of  privacy,"  replied  Mr.  Fer 
guson  gravely.  "  I  suppose  you  have  come 
to  apologize  for  your  impertinence  to  my  son 
and  for  meddling  with  what  don't  concern 

you." 

"  Good  !"  exclaimed  Morrison,  nudging  his 
sister  with  his  elbow. 

"  I  have  not  come  for  that  purpose — I  owe 
him  no  apology,"  quickly  replied  Lewis. 

"  He  does,  he  does  !  he  called  me  a  coward, 
when  he  is  himself  a  thief,"  exclaimed  Mor 
rison. 

"  How  is  this,  young  rascal  ?  Don't  try  to 
impose  on  me  with  your  soft  manners  and 
cringing  bows." 

"  I  scorn  the  base  accusation,"  replied  Lewis, 
indignantly.  "  Give  me  an  opportunity,  and 
I  will  prove  to  you  that  I  am  honest.  I  am 
in  haste,  having  an  appointment  with  Mr. 
Moses  Lawton  at  ten  o'clock  precisely." 

"  Run  along  Anna  and  Morrison ;  I  will 
hear  what  the  fellow  has  to  say  for  himself," 
responded  Mr.  Ferguson,  reluctantly. 

Morrison  whispered  in  his  father's  ear,  loud 
enough  for  the  words  to  tingle  in  the  ear  of 
another  unwilling  listener,  "  Take  good  care  of 
your  pocket-handkerchief,  papa,"  and  then  the 


BTJKGLAES.  101 

impertinent  boy  ran  forward,  accompanied  by 
his  sister,  now  and  then  turning  and  making 
contemptuous  faces  at  the  unfortunate  Lewis. 

Mr.  Ferguson  and  Lewis  followed  slowly 
after  them,  and  when  they  were  quite  out  of 
hearing,  Lewis  gave  an  account  of  the  events 
of  the  preceding  night. 

"  A  very  likely  story,"  interrupted  Mr. 
Ferguson,  when  Lewis  came  to  the  ghost 
scene.  "  You,  venture  to  frighten  three  men 
away  !  it's  quite  equal  to  FalstafFs  seven  men 
in  buckram.  You  must  think,  boy,  I  am  a 
weak  man  to  be  so  easily  imposed  upon.  I 
don't  believe  your  ghost  story." 

"  Sir,  robbers  are  proverbially  cowards ;  one 
of  these  I  knew  from  what  I  heard  him  say 
was  very  timid.  You  had  yourself  suggested 
the  ghost  as  a  means  of  frightening  boys.  I 
tried  the  experiment  on  men,  and  it  suc 
ceeded.  Allow  me  to  go  on." 

When  Lewis  described  the  appearance  of 
Polly  Potts  in  the  miser's  dress,  Mr.  Ferguson 
forgot  his  sternness  and  his  suspicions,  and 
laughed  heartily. 

They  had  now  gone  by  the  Haunted  House, 

and  were  crossing  a  field  inclosed  by  a  thin 

board  fence,  and  Lewis  continued :  "  While 

my  sister  was  thumping  the  stove  pipe  in  my 

9* 


102  GET   MONET. 

room,  it  fell ;  and  this  morning  I  discovered 
that  a  pocket-book  had  fallen  out.  Finding 
it  contained  money  to  a  large  amount,  and 
having  before  heard  that  ISTollins  left  his 
property  to  you" 

"  A  pocket-book  !  money  ?  What  did  you 
do  with  it  ?"  exclaimed  Mr.  Ferguson,  stand 
ing  still,  and  fiercely  facing  the  boy. 

"Here  it  is,"  said  Lewis  quietly,  handing 
him  the  pocket-book.  "  I  saw  it  contained  a 
thousand-dollar  bill,  and  looked  no  further. 
The  slip  of  paper  is  pinned  around  the  bills 
just  as  they  were  found." 

"  So  it  seems,  and  the  pin  stuck  through 
and  through,  so  rusty  I  can  scarcely  pull  it 
out.  This  is  wonderful.  It  seems  from  tho 
old  fellow's  own  writing  on  the  slip  of  paper, 
that  here  are  fifty  thousand  dollars,  exactly 
the  sum  he  left  rne  in  his  will.  I  can  count 
the  bills  as  I  go  along." 

They  walked  onward.  Lewis  continued : 
"  In  attempting  to  move  the  stove,  I  found  it 
was  very  heavy,  and  discovered  that  it  con 
tained  solid  money.  I  replaced  the  coal  in 
the  stove,  and  left  it  for  your  examination." 

"  Is  it  safe  there  ?"  eagerly  demanded  Mr. 
Ferguson. 

"  Perfectly  so  ;  nobody  would  suspect  mo- 


BTTBGLABS.  103 

ney  to  be  in  a  coal  stove.  I  must  now  hasten 
on  to  keep  my  appointment  with  Mr.  Lawton, 
and  I  wish  Mr.  Ferguson,  you  would  inquire 
of  him  with  regard  to  my  character." 

"  Mr.  Lawton,  Mr.  Moses  Lawton !  I  do 
not  doubt  you  are  as  honest  a  boy  as  ever 
lived,"  replied  Mr.  Ferguson,  patting  Lewis 
familiarly  on  the  back. 

"  I  prefer  you  should  make  the  inquiry,  if 
you  please,"  was  the  grave  reply. 

"  Well,  well,  perhaps  I  will.  You  may  go 
on.  Stop  a  moment ;  do  not  mention  the  find 
ing  of  the  money  to  any  person.  I  will  give 
you  the  rent  of  the  house  for  the  rest  of  the 
year,  and  here  are  five  dollars  for  you." 

"  I  cannot  take  the  money ;  I  have  only 
done  my  duty.  Good  morning,  sir."  And 
Lewis  hastened  away  as  rapidly  as  he  could 
walk,  soon  leaving  Mr.  Ferguson  far  behind. 


CHAPTEK  X. 

THE     BOSTON     MERCHANT. 

MR.  FERGUSON  pursued  his  way  slowly  over 
the  long  Neck  which  joins  Koxbury  to  Bos 
ton,  where  there  were,  then,  but  a  few  scat 
tered  houses.  He  took  out  the  leather  pocket- 
book,  and  examined  it :  he  counted  the  bank 
notes — fifty  thousand  dollars  exactly  in  notes 
of  different  denominations,  none  less  than  $100. 
In  a  side  opening  of  the  old  pocket-book  he 
found  a  slip  of  paper  on  which  was  written 
"  Stove  Bank ;"  and  then,  "  157  eagles,  231 
half-eagles,"  and  so  on,  with  various  dates,  un 
til  the  last,  which  was  the  very  day  before  his 
death,  and  to  that  date  was  placed  the  sum  of 
18}  cents ;  the  last  entry  the  poor  old  man  had 
ever  made. 

"  Now,  I  shall  count  all  those  coins  in  the 
Stove  Bank,  and  find  out  if  that  Lewis  Len- 
ning  has  cheated  me.  A  mighty  easy  thing 

104 


THE   BOSTON   MERCHANT.  105 

it  would  be  to  take  a  few  handfuls.  All, 
that's  the  reason  the  young  scamp  wouldn't 
take  the  five  dollars  I  offered  him." 

While  these  thoughts  were  passing  through 
his  mind,  Mr.  Ferguson  held  the  pocket-book 
in  his  right  hand,  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the 
memorandum,  which  he  held  in  the  left. 

Suddenly,  the  pocket-book  was  snatched  out 
of  his  hand,  and  a  man  rushed  by  him,  swift 
as  the  wind. 

For  a  few  seconds,  Mr.  Ferguson  was  as 
motionless  as  the  stone  pavement  upon  which 
he  was  standing ;  recovering  from  the  shock, 
which  had  been  like  an  electric  one,  he  began 
crying  "  Stop  thief,"  with  all  his  might.  But 
no  one  was  writhin  hearing,  and  the  robber 
had  disappeared.  Mr.  Ferguson  ran  as  ra 
pidly  as  possible,  and  soon  met  a  man  who 
was  coming  from  Boston,  who  inquired  what 
was  the  matter;  for  some  reason,  best  known 
to  himself,  Mr.  Ferguson  replied,  "  Oh,  nothing 
at  all ;  only  I  am  in  a  hurry  to  get  in  town." 

Again  suspicion  of  Lewis  crossed  his  mind. 
Perhaps,  after  all,  he  was  connected  with  a 
gang  of  robbers,  who  had  discovered'  this 
money,  and  were  afraid  to  use  it,  for  fear  of 
being  detected,  and  afterwards  had  resolved 
to  have  it. 


106  GET   MONEY. 

It  was  an  absurd  suspicion.  It  proved  how 
difficult  it  was  for  a  man  who  had  himself 
swerved  from  the  straight  path  of  uprightness 
into  the  crooked  ways  of  the  world,  to  believe 
in  the  unsullied  integrity  of  Lewis  Lenning. 
Fully  possessed  with  this  unjust  suspicion, 
Mr.  Ferguson  hastened  immediately  to  Mr. 
Lawton's,  hardly  expecting,  however,  either 
to  find  Lewis  Lenning  there,  or  to  learn  of  his 
whereabouts,  from  that  gentleman.  But  there, 
indeed,  he  found  Lewis,  quietly  seated,  in 
conversation  with  Mr.  Lawton  himself. 

As  if  not  altogether  pleased  with  the  inter 
ruption,  Mr.  Lawton  received  Mr.  Ferguson 
coolly,  saying  in  a  formal  manner,  as  though 
every  word  had  been  cut  from  a  dry  stick, 
with  a  sharp  knife ; 

"  Your  business,  sir,  if  you  please ;  I  am  at 
present  particularly  engaged  with  this  young 
gentleman." 

"It. is  of  that  young  gentleman,  as  you 
choose  to  call  him,  I  wish  to  speak.  He  has 
taken  the  liberty  to  refer  me  to*  you  for  his 
character,  which,  I  am  sprry  to  say,  is  some 
what  suspicious,"  said  Mr.  Ferguson. 

"  Well,  there  you  have  it  in  black  and 
white,"  replied  Mr.  Lawton,  curtly,  at  the 
same  time  pointing  to  a  chair,  and  handing 


THE    BOSTON    MERCHANT  107 

Mr.  Ferguson  an  open  letter,  of  which  he  was 
to  read  only  the  second  page. 

Mr.  Ferguson  seated  himself,  and  read  the 
page  specially  pointed  out  to  him ;  but  we 
give  here  the  whole  letter. 


Watermlle,  May  18,  — . 

MY  DEAR  FKIEND  AND  CLASSMATE  : — It  was  a  great  pleasure 
to  me  to  put  my  eyes  once  more  upon  your  well-known  hand 
writing.  From  various  quarters  I  have  learnt,  from  time  to 
time,  that  God  had  filled  your  garners  to  overflowing,  and  that 
the  bountiful  overflow  goes  out  in  refreshing  rills  to  gladden 
many  hearts  and  homes.  The  $200,  which  you  please  to 
say  is  for  books  for  my  library,  is  gratefully  acknowledged, 
the  remaining  $50,  I  will  use  according  to  your  directions. 
True,  I  did  receive  the  excellent  Mrs.  Lenning  into  my 
crowded  house  ;  but  it  was  only  an  act  of  common  hospitality 
to  a  respected  neighbor,  who  had  just  then  no  home.  She  can 
stay  with  us  till  her  young  son  has  provided  a  comfortable 
home  for  her.  I  assure  you,  my  dear  sir,  it  is  no  burden, 
for  her  presence  in  our  house  is  "  a  burning  and  shining 
light,"  cheering  and  encouraging  to  all  who  dwell  within. 

You  inquire,  my  dear  friend,  about  that  son  (our  Lewis, 
as  we  call  him),  with  apparent  interest.  I  am  truly  glad 
that  a  kind  Providence  has  brought  him  to  your  notice. 

Lewis  has  been  religiously  brought  up  from  his  very 
cradle,  by  a  mother  who  belongs  to  the  same  category  as 
Lois  and  Eunice,  Timothy's  honored  relations,  and  from 
childhood  to  the  present  hour,  has  been  the  most  consci 
entious  boy  I  have  ever  known.  Religion  with  him  is  an 
active,  all-pervading  principle,  governing  his  whole  life  and 
conduct.  Of  course,  he  has  bis  own  faults  and  sins  to  bat 
tle  with  ;  but  who  has  not  ?  and  is  subject  to  temptation, 


108  GET   MONEY. 

like  every  other  human  being.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  our 
dear  boy  is  perfect ;  but  I  know  he  has  learned  to  "  fear 
God  and  keep  his  commandments,"  and  I  would  stake  my 
life  upon  his  honesty.  In  whatever  situation  you  may  place 
him,  I  am  sure  he  will  prove  woi^thy  of  your  confidence. 

I  fitted  him  for  college,  and  he  might  have  entered  last 
fall,  but  the  circumstances  of  the  family  are  such  as  to  ren 
der  it  necessary  for  him  to  do  something  for  their  support. 
He  has  a  sweet,  delicate  sister,  no  better  calculated  to  meet 
the  rough  encounter  of  poverty,  than  a  canary  bird  would  be 
to  meet  one  of  our  January  snow  storms,  on  the  top  of 
yonder  old  elm  tree. 

I  thank  you  for  the  kindness  shown  to  my  son  Thomas 
and  daughter  Idelette.  They  accept  your  kind  invitation, 
and  will  be  at  the  station-house  at  the  time  you  appoint 
(Providence  permitting). 

Very  respectfully  and  gratefully  your  friend, 

JOHN  SCOFIELD. 

"  Glad  to  hear  so  good  an  account  of  the 
lad,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Ferguson.  "  I  have 
proof  of  his  honesty.  I  suppose  he  has  told 
you  how  bravely  he  defended  my  house  last 
night,  when  it  was  entered  by  burglars." 

Mr.  Lawton's  grave  face  relaxed  for  a  mo 
ment  into  the  semblance  of  a  smile,  and  then 
he  said  sternly,  "  It  is  astonishing,  sir,  that 
you  should  have  allowed  this  young  lad  to 
take  possession  of  a  house  which  has  been  in 
fested  by  these  burglars  for  a  long  time  past,  in 
search  of  the  miser's  money,  and  thus  expose 
him  and  his  sister  and  servant  to  danger." 


THE   BOSTON   MERCHANT.  109 

"  I  thought  the  housebreaking  scamps  had 
given  up  the  pursuit  long  ago.  I  am  going  to 
offer  a  reward  of  a  thousand  dollars  for  their 
detection.  I  shall  set  all  the  police  officers  on 
the  look  out  for  the  rascals." 

"  Indeed,  that  is  a  large  reward,  especially 
as  they  found  nothing,"  remarked  Mr.  Lawton. 

Mr.  Ferguson  cast  an  inquiring  look  to 
wards  Lewis.  It  was  answered  in  such  a  way 
as  to  convince  Mr.  Ferguson  that  he  had  not 
mentioned  finding  the  money,  and  he  con 
tinued,  "  I  will  not  have  my  premises  inyaded 
with  impunity ;  the  thousand  dollars  reward 
shall  be  posted  up  all  over  the  city  in  two 
hours  from  this  time.  I  must  go  to  attend  to 
it  immediately." 

"  Please,  Mr.  Lawton,  inform  Mr.  Ferguson 
of  the  mistake  of  the  clerk;  you  understand' 
me,  sir,"  said  Lewis,  entreatingly. 

"  Yes,  yes — there  was  a  false  accusation 
made  against  Lewis  Lenning  by  a  certain  per 
son,  which  was  proven  to  be  a  most  egregi 
ous  blander  on  his  part.  Lewis  Lenning  was 
no '  more  guilty  of  what  he  was  accused 
than  you  yourself.  Good  .morning,  sir,"  re 
plied  Mr.  Lawton,  with  unusual  rapidity  of 
speech. 

"  I  see  you   have  taken  him   under  your 
10 


110  GET   MONET. 

special  protection,"  Mr.  Ferguson  remarked, 
with  a  low  bow. 

"  Not  my  protection,  I  have  taken  him  into 
my  own  counting-room,  as  a  confidential 
clerk." 

This  was  the  first  intimation  Lewis  had  re 
ceived  of  Mr.  Lawton's  intention,  and  his  eyes 
sparkled  with  joy  as  he  heard  it.  Mr.  Fergu 
son  grasped  his  hand,  saying,  "  Come  and  see 
us,  my  lad  ;  happy  to  have  you  for  a  neighbor 
and  friend.  Good  morning,  gentlemen." 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  cooly  replied  Lewis. 

No  sooner  was  Mr.  Ferguson  out  of  sight, 
than  Mr.  Lawton  shook  his  head,  saying,  "  I 
can't  fathom  that  man.  Something  lies  be 
yond  what  he  says;  always  an  arrierepensee. 
A  thousand  dollars  for  the  detection  of  the 
burglars  of  the  Haunted  House !  It  is  a 
large  sum !" 

"  What  is  Mr.  Ferguson's  business  ?"  in 
quired  Lewis. 

"  Shaving  notes,  it  is  called ;  that  is,  accom 
modating  people  with  money  at  immense  dis 
counts.  He  has  grown  rich  in  this  way. 
Many  of  our  brokers  are  honest  men ;  this 
one  has  not  the  highest  reputation  among 
them." 

"  Would  it  be  safe  to  bring  my  dear  mother 


THE   BOSTON   MERCHANT.  Ill 

to  the  Haunted  House?"  anxiously  asked 
Lewis. 

"  I  think  it  would ;  no  attempts  will  be  made 
upon  it  while  such  a  reward  is  offered.  Your 
good  mother  will  perhaps  arrive  this  very 
day." 

" To-day!"  exclaimed  the  boy;  "to-day!" 

"  I  wrote  to  her  myself  to  come,  if  Mr.  Sco- 
h'eld  would  allow  his  son  and  daughter  to 
accompany  her.  My  carriage  is  to  be  at  the 
station,  at  two  o'clock,  to  meet  them.  You  can 
go  in  it,  and  if  you  find  the  party  there,  drop 
Scofield  and  his  sister  at  my  door,  and  take 
your  mother  home." 

Poor  Lewis  could  hardly  open  his  lips  to 
thank  Mr.  Lawton.  In  making  the  attempt, 
great  tears  rolled  over  his  cheeks,  of  which, 
of  course,  boy-like,  he  was  heartily  ashamed. 

The  tears,  however,  did  not  disgrace  him. 
At  least  so  thought  Mr.  Lawton  ;  for  he  said, 
cheerily,  "  Well,  my  boy,  when  will  you  begin 
your  new  duties  as  my  confidential  clerk?" 

"  Thank  you,  sir ;  now." 

"  What !  when  you  are  expecting  your  mo 
ther  in  two  hours'  time  ?" 

"I  have  nothing  special  to  do  for  those  two 
hours,  sir." 

"  That  is  well  said.     I  like  promptness.     I 


112  GET   MONEY. 

have  not  yet  told  you  that  I  shall  give  you  a 
salary  far  beyond  what  is  usually  given  to 
clerks  of  your  age.  Here  are  letters  to  copy. 
I  am  going  out  for  an  hour  and  a  half.  If  any 
any  one  inquires  for  me,  say  I  shall  be  here 
at  half-past  one  o'clock ;  I  like  to  be  exact." 

Great  was  the  surprise  of  the  clerks  in  the 
adjoining  counting-room,  to  see,  through  the 
glass  door,  the  stranger-lad  at  the  writing- 
desk  of  Mr.  Lawton  ;  left  there  alone !  For 
the  clerk  had  not  kept  the  secret  to  himself, 
in  compliance  with  Mr.  Lawton's  request,  but 
had  told  it  in  confidence  to  his  fellow-clerks, 
till  the  whole  bevy  buzzed  with  it,  like  a  hor 
net's  nest. 


CHAPTEE  XL 

A    SURPRISE. 

MR.  LAWTON  returned  precisely  at  the  ap 
pointed  time.  After  examining  and  approv 
ing  of  the  letters  Lewis  had  copied  during  his 
absence,  Mr.  Lawton  told  him  the  carriage  was 
at  the  door,  and  he  might  now  go  for  his  mother. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  analyze  the  feelings 
of  the  boy,  as  the  carriage  rolled  on  with  a 
stately  grace  much  resembling  the  movement 
of  its  owner.  The  prevailing  emotion,  how 
ever,  was,  thankfulness  to  God ;  the  next,  gra 
titude  -towards  the  noble  benefactor  who  had 
been  thus  providentially  raised  up  in  a  time 
of  direst  need. 

But  all  other  emotions  in  the  bosom  of 
Lewis  were  soon  lost,  for  a  time,  in  one; 
namely,  joy,  at  the  sight  of  his  beloved  mo 
ther.  He  rushed  into  one  of  the  cars,  and 
then  another,  before  he  found  her.  His  atten- 
10*  us 


114  GET   MONEY. 

tion  was  called  to  her  by  the  exclamation, 
"My  boy,  my  dear  Lewis!"  He  lifted  the 
little  woman  in  his  arms,  and  the  exclamation 
"  My  mother !  my  mother !"  thrilled  through 
many  filial  hearts.  Triumphantly  he  bore  her 
to  the  carriage,  as  though  she  were  an  infant. 

Then  he  remembered  her  companions,  and, 
on  turning,  found  they  had  followed  him,  and 
were  smiling  in  sympathy  with  him.  He 
knew  the  brother  and  sister  well.  Idelette 
had  been  one  of  his  schoolmates  at  Mr.  Sco- 
field's ;  indeed,  there  had  been  quite  a  rivalry 
in  scholarship  between  them. 

Lewis  handed  the  young  lady  into  the  car 
riage,  while  her  brother  went  to  look  for  the 
luggage. 

When  they  were  all  seated  in  the  carriage, 
Lewis  could  not  for  a  time  utter  a  syllable ; 
he  could  only  take  one  of  his  mother's  poor 
lame  hands,  and  then  the  other,  and  gently 
lift  them  to  his  lips.  Oh,  the  unspeakable 
tenderness  and  affection  in  that  half-breathed 
"mother!  mother!"  which  then  came  from 
his  over-full  heart ! 

After  Scon' eld  and  his  sister  had  alighted 
at  the  beautiful  mansion  of  Mr.  Lawton,  in 

street,  Lewis  requested  the  coachman  to 

drive  directly  to  Roxbury. 


A   SUKPBISE.  115 

As  the  carriage  was  winding  its  way 
through  crowded  Washington  street,  Lewis 
recognized  the  police  officer  who  had  held 
him  so  closely  in  his  firm  grasp.  The  officer, 
walking  leisurely  along  by  himself,  saw  Lewis 
at  the  same  moment,  took  off  his  hat,  and 
smiling,  made  a  most  respectful  bow. 

In  consequence  of  the  number  of  vehicles, 
of  all  descriptions,  which  obstructed  the  street, 
the  carriage,  a  few  moments  after,  was  en 
tirely  stopped. 

"  Mother,  mother,  don't  be  alarmed !  I  must 
leave  you.  As  soon  as  this  press  is  over,  the 
coachman  will  take  you  home.  I  will  give 
him  the  necessary  directions."  So  saying, 
Lewis  jumped  out  of  the  carriage,  gave  the 
directions,  promptly  and  clearly,  and  then 
walked  rapidly  towards  the  policeman,  whom 
he  met  immediately. 

"  Come  with  me  this  instant.  I  have  just 
seen  one  of  the  burglars  for  whom  a  reward 
of  $1,000  is  offered,"  said  Lewis. 

"  Are  you  sure  ?  I  am  on  the  look-out  for 
those  very  fellows,"  exclaimed  the  officer. 

"  One  of  them  is  now  on  the  other  side  of 
the  street.  I  knew  him  the  moment  I  saw 
the  blue  coat  and  plaid  pantaloons.  There 
he  is  now,"  whispered  Lewis. 


116  GET   MONEY. 

"  He  does  make  his  way  along  like  a  guilty 
fellow.  See  how  rapidly  he  glides  past  one, 
and  then  another,  and  yet  carefully,  as  if  he 
would  on  no  account  hit  anybody's  elbows,  to 
attract  attention.  "We  will  turn  and  keep  up 
with  him,  till  I  get  a  chance  to  nab  him,"  said 
the  officer,  with  the  keen  relish  of  a  genuine 
man-hunter. 

The  person  thus  watched  was  a  well-dressed 
young  man,  tall  and  thin,  apparently  not  more 
than  nineteen  or  twenty  years  old.  He  was  the 
very  one  of  the  three  burglars  who  mentioned 
having  been  at  the  Haunted  House  six  months 
before.  He  had  not  gone  far,  when  he  turned 
suddenly  and  ran  up  the  steps  of  a  Bank. 

The  officer  and  Lewis  crossed  the  street. 
There  they  stopped. 

"  Wait  a  minute,  till  we  see  what  he  is 
going  to  do,"  said  the  officer.  Having  waited 
that  brief  time,  "  Come  now,  he's  safe,"  said 
the  officer,  and  entering  the  Bank,  followed  by 
Lewis,  he  closed  the  door,  turned  the  ponder 
ous  key,  took  it  out,  and  put  it  in  his  pocket. 

"  Twenty-five  twenties  in  gold,  you  said  you 
wanted  for  this  five  hundred  dollar  note,  and 
one  hundred  in  tens  for  this  one  thousand," 
remarked  the  bank-teller.  "  Our  cashier  says 
they  are  our  own  good  notes,  and  only  wonders 


A   SURPKISE. 


where  they  have  been  kept  for  these  dozen 
years  or  more."  So  saying,  the  teller  counted 
out  the  gold  on  the  counter. 

Just  as  the  young  man  was  about  to  take 
it  up,  the  officer  laid  his  hand  on  his  shoulder, 
and  arrested  him  for  highway  robbery. 

"  JSTot  for  robbery,"  whispered  Lewis  ear 
nestly,  "  for  burglary." 

"  I  know  what  I  am  about,"  replied  the  of 
ficer.  "  I  am  under  the  necessity  of  search 
ing  you  for  the  rest  of  the  money,"  he  con 
tinued,  "  I  have  a  search  warrant." 

The  guilty  creature  stood  petrified  for  a 
moment  ;  then,  with  a  tremendous  oath,  ex 
claimed,  "  I  am  ruined,  body  and  soul,"  and 
threw  the  old  leather  pocket-book,  containing 
the  remainder  of  the  money,  on  the  counter. 
Lewis  was  overcome  with  horror,  not  un- 
mingled  with  pity. 

The  cashier  of  the  Bank  now  came  forward 
to  inquire  what  was  going  on,  saying,  "  This 
must  be  some  mistake  ;  this  young  man  is 
Mr.  Shanby,  head  clerk  of  Minkin,  Man 
tua'  &  Co.  These  are  good  notes,  though  of 
ancient  date.  I  suppose  you  are  taking  him 
up  for  passing  counterfeit  money." 

a'JSTo,  indeed,  for  highway  robbery  and  bur 
glary  too.  We'll  attend  to  one  first,  though 


118  GET   MONET. 

Please,  Mr.  Cashier,  seal  up  all  the  money  that 
was  in  that  pocket-book,  and  keep  it  till  asked 
for.  There  ought  to  be  fifty  thousand  dollars." 

"  Fifty  thousand  !  Wait  till  I  have  counted 
it,"  said  the  cashier. 

"All  right,  with  the  notes  just  changed — 
fifty  thousand  exactly,  but  not  all  notes  of 
this  bank,"  was  the  cashier's  remark,  after 
counting  the  money. 

The  pocket-book  was  sealed,  and  the  officer, 
after  summoning  another  officer  to  his  assist 
ance,  departed  with  Mr.  Shanby,  and  -they 
soon  had  him  safely  lodged  in  the  city  gaol. 

Lewis  wended  his  way  homeward  in  a  sor 
rowful  mood.  Never  had  his  pity  been  more 
deeply  excited  than  for  the  wretched  young 
man.  Tftily,  the  love  of  money  is  the  root 
of  all  evil.  Fervently  he  prayed  to  be  kept 
from  temptation. 

It  was}  of  course,  a  mystery  to  Lewis  how  the 
pocket-book  had  come  into^  the  possession  of 
Mr.  Shanby.  Mr.  Ferguson,  with  his  usual  cun 
ning,  had  offered  the  reward  for  the  burglars, 
and  had  only  revealed  his  loss  of  money,  by 
highway  robbery,  to  three  police  officers,  who 
were  all  on  the  look-out  for  the  robber.  Mr. 
Ferguson  had  concluded  that  he  was  not  one 
of  the  burglars.  He  did  not  wish  the  robber 


A   SURPRISE.  119 

to  be  alarmed  by  an  advertisement  of  the  rob- 
b  ry  and  the  large  reward,  lest  he  should  de 
stroy  the  bank  notes.  He  cared  nothing  about 
the  apprehension  of  the  housebreakers ;  indeed, 
he  hoped  they  would  not  be  detected,  as  in 
that  case  he  must  pay  the  thousand  dollars. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

THE     STOVE     BANK. 

MR.  FERGUSON,  after  having  seen  the  hand 
bills,  offering  the  reward,  flaring  in  immense 
letters,  on  walls  and  posts,  hastened  with  all 
speed  back  to  the  Haunted  House.  In  ima 
gination,  he  saw  the  "  Stove  Bank"  robbed  of 
its  precious  contents ;  he  tightly  grasped  the 
miser's  memorandum,  as  he  drove  over  the 
Neck,  though  there  was  no  one  in  the  omnibus 
but  a  small  girl  and  himself. 

Entering  the  Haunted  House  without  knock 
ing,  he  stealthily  ascended  to  the  room  oc 
cupied  by  Lewis.  On  opening  the  miser's 
"  bank  " — that  is,  taking  off  the  cover  of  the 
coffee-pot  stove — there  was  the  money  in  plain 
sight — eagles,  half-eagles,  dollars,  and  smaller 
silver  coins — all  mixed  together  :  fascinating 
objects!  Idols  of  gold,  and  idols  of  silver! 
heartily  worshipped  by  the  usurer ! 

Mr.  Ferguson  took  from  his  pocket  a  strong 


THE   STOVE   BANK.  121 

canvas  bag,  and,  stooping  over  the  stove, 
reached  in  his  hand,  when  a  tremendous  blow 
was  dealt  upon  his  back  by  the  redoubtable 
Polly  Potts. 

Polly  was  sweeping  in  the  adjoining  room, 
and  hearing  a  noise  at  the  stove,  cam^  wo 
man's  weapon  in  hand,  and  immediately  made 
a  personal  application  of  it.  "  Whack  upon 
your  back!"  she  cried,  as  she  administered 
the  second  blow.  "  You  come  in  broad  day 
light  this  time,  Mr.  Kobber !" 

Mr.  Ferguson  sprang  up,  faced  his  assail 
ant,  and  defended  himself  with  an  old  pair  of 
bellows  which  he  snatched  from  beside  the 
fire-place,  crying,  "I  am  no  robber;  this  is 
my  house." 

"  Yes,  you  are  a  robber,"  continued  Polly, 
still  flourishing  the  broomstick  more  effect 
ively  than  Don  Quixote  did  his  good  sword, 
when  he  attacked  the  windmills. 

"  Stop,  woman,  let  me  take  breath !"  ex 
claimed  the  supposed  robber,  using  the  bellows 
as  a  shield. 

"Yes,  put  the  bellows-nozzle  in  your  mouth, 
and  help  yourself  to  breath,  and  then  walk 
straight  out  of  the  house,"  said  Polly. 

"I  tell  you,  vixen,  I  am  Mr.  Ferguson." 

"  Ferguson  or  Murgisoii  makes  no  differ- 
11 


122  GET   MONEY. 

ence  to  me,  so  long  as  you  are  after  what  don't 
belong  to  you." 

Mr.  Ferguson  now  threw  down  the  bellows, 
and  attempted  to  seize  the  broomstick.  It 
was  wielded  so  adroitly,  that  he  only  got 
blows  in  the  attempt,  at  which  he  yelled  like 
a  hyena. 

"  You  may  go,  if  you  will  pick  up  the  bel 
lows,  put  the  nozzle  in  your  mouth,  and  walk 
or  run  down  stairs,"  cried  Polly. 

Mr.  Ferguson  took  up  the  bellows,  held 
them  at  arm's  length,  and  made  a  desperate 
plunge  at  Polly.  She  sprang  aside,  and  he 
fell  full  length  upon  the  floor  into  the  entry. 
Polly  was  about  to  take  advantage  of  the  po 
sition  of  her  fallen  Toe,  when  Lottie,  who  had 
been  in  the  garden,  came  to  the  rescue. 

Lottie,  hearing  the  noise,  had  timidly  crept 
to  the  top  of  the  stairs,  and  was  now  peeping 
cautiously  into  the  entry. 

"Stop!  stop!  Polly!  it's  Mr.  Ferguson," 
she  cried. 

"What  right  has  he  here,  in  our  house, 
taking  money  ?"  said  the  enraged  Polly,  flour 
ishing  the  broom. 

By  this  time  the  discomfited  gentleman  was 
upon  his  feet,  exclaiming,  "  Money  !  How  did 
you  know  there  was  money  in  the  stove?" 


THE   STOVE   BANK.  123 

"  I  found  it  there  this  morning.  I  was  tak 
ing  out  the  coal  to  make  the  stove  lighter,  be 
cause  I  wanted  to  carry  it  up  garret,  when  I 
spied  the  money ;  so  I  carried  away  the  coal, 
and  left  the  money  for  Mr.  Lewis  Lenning. 
What  right  have  you  to  take  it  away?" 

"  I'll  settle  that  with  somebody  besides  you. 
Woman,  you  ought  to  be  hanged  for  beating 
me  ;  I  shan't  get  over  your  tremendous  blows 
for  a  whole  month,"  growled  out  the  broker. 

"  Polly  thought  you  were  a  robber,"  gently 
urged  Lottie. 

"  Sartain  I  did  ;"  and  she  muttered  to  her 
self,  as  Mr.  Ferguson  returned  to  the  stove 
and  began  filling  the  bag,  "  I  think  little  bet 
ter  of  you  now." 

"How  much  have  you  taken  from  this 
stove,  jade?"  demanded  he. 

"  Not  so  much  as  I  wish  I  had,"  sulkily  re 
plied  Polly. 

"  You  might  as  well  tell  me,  for  I  have  a 
memorandum  of  every  piece  there  was  here, 
and  I  shall  know  just  how  much  you  have 
taken,"  fiercely  demanded  Mr.  Ferguson. 

"  Takin !  Not  a  red  cent !  I  have  been 
taught  by  my  good  mistress  Lenning  to  fear 
God  and  keep  his  commandments." 


124  GET   MONEY. 

"  Fear  God  and  keep  his  commandments  1" 
muttered  Mr.  Ferguson  to  himself. 

"  Yes ;  and  I  have  no  idee  of  serving  the 
devil,  or  fearing  him  either.  You  needn't 
grasp  the  bag  so  tight ;  the  devil  doesn't  show 
himself,  though  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  he  was 
very  near." 

Mr.  Ferguson  started  and  looked  around. 

Polly  chuckled,  grinned,  and  wicked  at 
Lottie,  who  in  vain  shook  her  head  at  her  ex 
cited  domestic,  who  continued — 

"  If  the  devil  isn't  here,  to  sweep  the  money 
out  of  your  hands  with  a  whisk  of  his  tail,  I 
shouldn't  wonder  if  the  old  miser  himself 
should  snatch  it  from  you." 

Mr.  Ferguson,  like  most  irreligious  men, 
was  superstitious ;  he  shuddered  at  the  thought 
of  the  pocket-book  so  suddenly  snatched  from 
his  hand,  and  almost  dropped  the  bag. 

Just  at  this  moment  a  carriage  stopped  at 
the  door.  Polly  ran  to  the  window,  exclaim 
ing,  "Her!  her!  her!"  and  rattled  down  stairs 
as  swiftly  as  the  brass  kettle  went  the  night 
before. 

"  "Who  can  it  be  ?"  thought  Lottie,  as  she 
followed  less  rapidly.  "  My  own  blessed  mo 
ther  !"  she  exclaimed. 


THE    STOVE   BANK.  125 

Polly  had  already  taken  the  delicate  little 
lady  in  her  arms,  and  was  bringing  her  in, 
saying,  "  Did  you  drop  right  down  from  the 
sky  in  that  carriage  ?" 

Polly  placed  Mrs.  Lenning  in  the  easy  chair 
in  the  room  prepared  for  her.  Lottie  fell  on 
her  knees,  and  burying  her  face  in  her  mo 
ther's  lap.  wept  convulsively,  for  joy. 

Mr.  Ferguson  departed,  looking  very  Judas- 
like,  with  the  bag  of  money  in  his  hand. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


THE    USURER'S    GENEROSITY. 


As  soon  as  Mr.  Shandy  was  safely  lodged 
in  prison,  the  police-officer  who  had  arrest 
ed  him,  drove  out  to  Mr.  Ferguson's  to  inform 
that  "  honorable "  gentleman  that  the  rob 
ber  was  taken,  and  his  money  all  safe.  He 
could  hardly  believe  it  possible,  that  such 
"  good  luck,"  as  he  termed  it,  could  come  to 
him. 

"  The  reward  for  the  detection  of  the  burglar 
belongs  to  a  nice  young  lad,  named  Lewis 
Lenning;  as  brave  and  as  honest  a  boy  as 
ever  lived,"  said  the  policeman,  who  then  told 
the  particulars  of  the  arrest. 

"  You  think  there  is  no  mistake  about  this 
robber's  being  one  of  the  burglars?"  demanded 
Mr.  Ferguson. 

"  Certainly,  no  mistake.  Why,  sir,  you  see 
as  how  the  lad  Lenning  had  not  heard  of  the 

126 


THE  USURER'S  GENEROSITY.  127 

robbery ;  but  he  knew  Shanby  to  be  one  of 
the  burglars  the  moment  he  set  eyes  on  him. 
Besides,  Shanby  confessed,  as  we  went  along, 
the  way  he  knew  you  had  the  money." 

"  How  was  that  ?"  eagerly  asked  Mr.  Fer 
guson. 

"Last  night,  after  the  fellows  had  been 
frightened  away  from  the  house  the  first  time, 
they  took  a  good  swig  of  brandy  from  a  bottle 
Shanby  carried  in  his  pocket,  to  keep  their 
spirits  up  by  pouring  spirits  down.  It  seems 
Shanby  afterwards  couldn't  walk  quite  so 
fast  as  the  others,  so  they  turned  him  in  to 
pasture  for  the  night,  where  Mr.  Shanby  lay 
on  the  wet  grass,  behind  a  fence,  till  morning. 
As  you  passed  the  spot  where  the  burglar  lay 
on  his  comfortable  bed,  he  heard  your  talk 
with  Lenning  about  the  fifty  thousand.  So, 
after  you  had  walked  on  awhile,  he  followed : 
it  seems  you  sent  the  young  folks  ahead  ;  and, 
when  Shanby  saw  you  all  alone,  with  that 
beautiful  fifty  thousand  in  your  hand,  the  devil 
whispered  in  his  ear — ;  You  can  have  all  that 
money  with  just  one  snatch,  and  sail  for  Europe 
in  the  steamer  to-day.'  Ah,  sir,  he  listened 
to  the  black  tempter,  and  there  he  is,  not  in  a 
crimson-curtained  cabin,  but  in  a  cobweb- 
curtained  cell." 


128  GET   MONEY. 

"  And  you  have'  come  for  your  reward,  I 
suppose,"  grumbled  Mr.  Ferguson. 

"  I  suppose  I  have,  sir.  Here's  the  promise 
in  your  own  writing,  with  your  signature,  in 
nice  plain  letters.  Five  hundred  dollars  to 
me  if  I  take  the  robber  and  the  money.  The 
robber's  in  gaol,  and  the  money  is  safe  in  the 
bank." 

"  I  will  pay  you  when  I  can  get  command  of 
the  money,"  hesitatingly  replied  the  broker. 

"  I  will  take  your  note  for  it  now,  and  give 
up  this  paper,"  said  the  policeman,  decidedly. 

"  A  note  for  sixty  days,"  suggested  Mr.  F. 

"  No,  Sir-e-e ;  payable  at  sight.  And  you 
owe  Lenning  one  thousand  dollars,  for  detecting 
the  burglar,"  exultingly  added  the  policeman. 

"  I  don't  owe  him  a  brass  farthing,  unless 
he  discovers  all  the  burglars ;  mind  you,  the 
reward  was  not  for  one  but  for  all" 

"  I  never  should  have  discovered  the  robber 
but  for  Lenning.  Shanby  would  have  had  his 
money  changed,  and  been  off  to  Europe.  His 
trunk  was  packed  ;  in  one  hour  he  would  have 
been  off.  Nobody  would  have  suspected  him 
—the  respectable  clerk  of  Minkin,  Mantua  & 
Co." 

How  Avarice  grows  with  the  meat  it  feeds 
on  I  Mr.  Fergvcon  had  counted  the  coins 


THE  USURER'S  GENEROSITY.  129 

from  the  Stove  Bank,  and  compared  the 
amount  with  the  miser's  memorandum.  -  It 
was  all  correct,  not  a  single  "  fourpence- 
ha'penny ."  missing.  Three  thousand,  four  hun 
dred  and  sixty-two  dollars  and  seventy-five 
cents  !  Yet  he  grudged  the  promised  reward 
to  the  honest  boy,  through  whose  means  alone 
he  had  obtained  that  sum  and  the  fifty  thou 
sand  besides.  Oh,  the  meanness  of  a  money- 
loving  man  !  Well  may  he  be  called  miser 
able  ! 

"  You  arrested  the  fellow  for  highway  rob 
bery,"  said  Mr.  Ferguson ;  "  he  will  be  tried  for 
that ;  should  the  other  burglars  be  discovered, 
they  will  have  to  be  tried  ;  when  they  are  con 
victed  it  will  be  time  enough  to  pay  the  reward ; 
not  before.  Here  is  my  note,  payable  when  I 
receive  the  money  you  have  lodged  in  the 
Bank." 

The  officer  deliberately  placed  the  note  in 
a  well-worn  wallet,  saying,  "How  can  you 
prove  that  money  to  be  yours  ?" 

"  Ko  trouble  about  that ;  the  will  of  old 
Nollins  is  on  record — he  left  it  to  me. 

"  Who  found  it  ?"  tartly  asked  the  policeman. 

"  Lewis  Leaning." 

"  Well,  sir,  I  must  say  you  are  awfully  grasp 
ing.  I  am  used  to  crimes  of  all  sorts ;  you 


132  -GET   MONEY. 

"  No,  mother ;  by  rats  and  robbers,"  an 
swered  Lewis. 

"  Robbers  !  Surely  we  have  nothing  here 
to  tempt  robbers." 

"I  have  done  dinner,  and  you  have  just 
begun.  Lewis  ;  so  let  me  tell  the  story  of  the 
Haunted  House,"  said  Lottie,  eagerly. 

"  Go  on,"  replied  Lewis,  smiling  at  his 
sister's  desire  to  show  her  facility  in  narra 
tion. 

Lottie  went  on.  without  interruption,  until 
she  came  to  the  point  where  Lewis  went  to 
the  glass  door  and  saw  three  men  there. 

"  Three !  oh,  my  son,  what  could  you  do 
then,"  exclaimed  the  mother,  becoming  even 
more  pale  than  usual. 

"  You  shall  hear,  mother,"  continued  Lottie. 
"You  know  the  house  was  believed  to  be 
haunted  by  the  ghost  of  old  Nollins,  and  in 
such  an  extreme  case  it  was  certainly  right  to 
take  advantage  of  this  superstition." 

Lottie  then  continued  the  relation  to  the 
time  when  the  robbers  scampered  off  at  the 
sight  of  Nollins  himself. 

"  And  now,  mother,  having  finished  my 
dinner,  I  will  roll  your  easy  chair  back  to 
your  own  room,  and  then  will  finish  the  sad 
story,"  said  Lewis.  "  Come,  Lottie,  you  too 


PHINEAS    SIIANBY.  133 

have  much  to  hear  that  will  grieve  and  aston 
ish  you." 

Lewis  then  recounted  the  events  that  had 
transpired  since  he  left  his  mother  in  the  car 
riage. 

"  A  young  man !  A  respectable  young 
man!  Oh,  Lewis,  my  son,  what  a  fearful 
morning !  Did  you  learn  if  the  poor,  mis 
guided  creature  has  a  mother?"  exclaimed 
Mrs.  Lenning. 

"  I  did  not.  I  have  learned  no  particulars 
of  the  robbery ;  but  if  you  wish  to  know 
more  about  it,  I  can  ask  Mr.  Ferguson.  Are 
you  afraid  to  stay  in  the  Haunted  House, 
mother  ?" 

"  Not  at  all,  now  that  the  object  for  which 
it  was  'haunted  is  removed.  It  was  very  cruel 
in  your  landlord  to  expose  you,  my  children, 
to  imminent  danger,  for  the  paltry  sum  of 
forty  dollars.  He  must  be  a  man  in  whom  I 
should  place  no  confidence.  God  be  thanked 
that  you  have  passed  through  great  peril 
without  injury." 

.  *  *  *  #  * 

Well  might  kind  Mrs.  Lenning  pity  the 
widowed  mother  of  Phineas  Shanby.     That 
wretched,  wicked  young  man  had  become  ad 
dicted  to  gambling,  and  was  deeply  in  debt. 
12 


134.  GET   MONEY. 

He  heard  of  the  treasure  said  to  be  concealed 
in  the  Haunted  House,  and  the  first  time 
went  alone  to  seek  it.  At  the  last  attempt, 
he  had  persuaded  two  other  merchants'  clerks 
to  accompany  him. 

He  was  found  guilty  of  highway  robbery 
by  the  grand  jury  immediately  called,  and 
remanded  to  prison,  there  to  await  his  trial 
before  the  Supreme  Court ;  no  one  could  be 
found  to  give  bail  for  him. 


CHAPTER  XY. 

THE   CONFIDENTIAL    CLERK. 

THE  next  morning  Lewis  prepared  to  leave 
home  at  an  early  hour,  to  commence  regu 
larly  his  business  as  confidential  clerk,  or 
more  properly,  as  private  secretary  to  Mr. 
Lawton. 

Who,  in  these  days  of  obedient  mothers, 
would  have  believed  that  the  feeble  invalid 
Mrs.  Lenning,  could  uphold  her  authority, 
and  render  it  supreme  over  a  bright  boy  aged 
sixteen?  Yet  such  was  the  fact.  She  gov 
erned  through  love  and  respect.  Her  tender 
affection  and  judicious  kindness  bound  her 
children  closely  to  her  during  childhood,  and 
now  they  were  held  there  as  closely  as  ever 
by  unbounded  respect.  Like  the  paper  kite 
which  is  held  tightly  by  the  line,  till,  float 
ing  upon  the  air,  it  seems  to  have  attained 
perfect  freedom,  Lewis  and  Lottie  did  not  feel 

185 


136  GET   MONET. 

the  line,  which,  however,  was  never  dropped 
from  the  guiding  hand.  They  did  not  feel 
it,  because  it  was  never  jerked.  "When  re 
straint  was  needed,  the  means  used  were  so 
gentle,  and  yet  so  sure,  as  to  cause  no  irrita 
tion. 

"  Good  morning,  dear  mother.  How  de 
lightful  it  is  to  leave  you  here  with  Lottie," 
said  Lewis,  hat  in  hand,  ready  for  departure. 

There  sat  the  small  lady  in  her  easy  chair, 
her  bright  hazel  eyes  sparkling  through  her 
tears.  "  God  bless  you,  Lewis,  my  son,  and 
shield  you  from  the  fearful  temptations  of  a 
great  city.  Ever  remember  that  money  is  a 
means  to  an  end.  It  has  no  value  in  itself. 
Never  degrade  yourself  to  the  worship  of  a 
golden  calf;  the  world  has  gone  frantic  in 
that  imbecile  worship." 

"  Dear  mother,  we  are  in  no  danger  at  pre 
sent  of  falling  into  that  idolatry,"  replied 
Lewis,  somewhat  sadly. 

"  Ah,  Lewis,  my  son,  you  may  be  mistaken. 
The  poor  Israelite  who  had  not  even  a  pair 
of  earrings  to  contribute  to  the  making  of  the 
golden  calf,  may  have  worshipped  it  as  fer 
vently  as  he  who  gave  a  talent  of  gold.  We 
must  be  ever  on  our  guard,  lest  we  fall  into 
temptation  unawares.  Good  morning." 


THE   CONFIDENTIAL    CLEKK.  137 

Lewis  kissed  the  pale  forehead  of  his 
mother  tenderly,  and  was  off  without  another 
word. 

When  Lewis  entered  Mr.  Lawton's  count 
ing-room,  he  found  "  the  master"  already  there, 
and  Dick  Moland  standing  beside  him,  looking 
very  sheepishly,  or  rather,  mnlishly ;  for  his 
countenance  expressed  the  obstinacy  charac 
teristic  of  that  long-eared  animal. 

"  Good  morning,  Lenning ;  how  is  your 
good  mother  to-day?"  was  the  polite  salutation 
of  Mr.  Lawton. 

"As  well  as  usual,  thank  you,  sir.  She 
bore  the  journey  better  than  could  have  been 
expected." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it.  Here  is  my  nephew, 
Dick  Moland.  I  sent  for  him  in  order  to 
have  him  make  humble  acknowledgments  to 
you  before  all  my  clerks.  In  spite  of  my 
commands  to  the  contrary,  his  false  accusa 
tion  against  you  has  been  bruited  about,  and 
I  insist  on  Dick's  making  amends  as  far  as 
possible." 

"Oh!  spare  me,  uncle,  this  disgrace;  let 
him  tell  the  story  as  he  pleases,"  entreated 
Dick. 

"  Disgrace  !  you  talk  of  disgrace,  when  you 
did  not  hesitate  on  a  mere  supposition  to  ruin 
12* 


138  GET   MONET. 

the  reputation  of  as  honest  a  boy  as  ever 
lived.  Come,  make  your  confession." 

"  I  cannot — I  will  not,"  was  the  impudent 
reply. 

"  You  will  not !  Dare  you  say  that  to  me  ?" 
exclaimed  Mr.  Lawton,  taking  Dick  by  the 
shoulder. 

"  Spare  him,"  pleaded  Lewis. 

"No;  you  shall  have  ample  justice,"  re 
plied  Mr.  Lawton,  leading  Dick  to  the  count 
ing-room  door. 

"  My  mother  says  I  can  live  down  calum 
ny,"  remarked  Lewis,  looking  compassionately 

at  Dick. 

"  True,  in  time  you  can ;  but  for  all  that, 
Dick  shall  now  confess  his  gross  mistake." 
So  saying,  Mr.  Lawton,  still  holding  Dick  by 
the  shoulder,  opened  the  door  and  led  him  in 
to  the  middle  of  the  adjoining  room. 

The  half  dozen  clerks  turned  from  their 
desks,  and  stared  in  stupid  amazement.  Lewis 
had  remained  in  the  inner  room. 

"  Come  forward,  Lenning,"  said  Mr.  Law- 
ton.  "  Now,  Dick,  confess  fully  your  false 
accusation  against  my  confidential  clerk,  Lewis 
Lenning." 

"  Why,  I  only  said  I  thought  he  had  taken 
my  new  silk  handkerchief,  when  I  had  it  in 


THE   CONFIDENTIAL   CLEKK.  139 

my  own  pocket,"  said  Dick,  hanging  his 
head,  and  dropping  his  under  lip  like  a  silly 
school-boy  suffering  the  punishment  of  wear 
ing  a  fool's  cap. 

The  laugh  that  burst  forth  from  all  sides 
fairly  tingled  in  the  ears  of  the  dandy  clerk. 

"  You  see,  young  men,  what  a  serious  and 
lasting  injury  this  false  accusation  might  have 
been  to  an  honest  lad ;  in  the  end,  his  life 
would  have  proved  it  false,  for  a  good  mother 
has  taught  him  that  the  man  or  the  boy  who 
fears  God  and  keeps  his  commandments,  can 
live  down  calumny.  Having  had  the  most 
abundant  testimony  to  the  uncommon  worth  of 
character  of  Lewis  Leuning,  I  have  taken'him 
into  my  counting-room,  and  now  have  the  plea 
sure  of  introducing  him  to  your  acquaintance." 

Mr.  Lawton  then  named  each  of  the  clerks 
in  turn,  as  they  stood  at  their  desks,  to  Lewis, 
who  bore  this  formal  introduction  with  modest 
self-possession.  Mr.  Lawton  then  returned 
with  the  two  boys  to  his  own  counting-room. 

"  I  suppose  you  have  heard,  Mr.  Lawton,  of 
the  apprehension  of  the  highway  robber,  who 
seized  the  pocket-book  from  Mr.  Ferguson," 
said  Lewis. 

"  Yes  ;  I  saw  an  account  of  it  in  this  morn 
ing's  paper." 


140  GET   MONET. 

"  Uncle  Lawton,  I  think— I  believe— I  must 
go  now,"  stammered  out  Dick  Moland,  turn 
ing  deathly  pale. 

"  Why,  what's  the  matter.  Are  you  faint  ? 
Here,  take  a  glass  of  water,"  said  Mr.  Lawton. 

Lewis  now  took  from  his  pocket  the  half- 
burnt  envelope  to  a  letter.  A  part  of  the  ad 
dress  remained. 

"  ARD  MOLAND, 

"  Washington  Street, 
"  Boston? 

"This  must  belong  to  you,"  said  Lewis. 
Dick  Moland  grew  livid  with  terror,  and  shook 
from  head  to  foot. 

"  What's  the  matter,  now  1"  demanded  Mr. 
Lawton. 

"  I  found  this  envelope  in  the  kitchen  yes 
terday  morning  ;  a  candle  had  probably  been 
lighted  with  it  the  night  before.  One  of  the 
young  men  must  have  dropped  it,"  said  Lewis. 

Mr.  Lawton  took  the  envelope,  and  examin 
ed  it  closely ;  and  then,  in  a  deep,  hollow  voice, 
exclaimed,  "  It  is  my  own  handwriting.  Boy ! 
how  came  your  envelope  in  such  a  place  ?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  replied  Dick,  in  that  tone— 
that  trembling  tone,  which  Lewis  too  well 
remembered  to  have  heard  before. 


THE   CONFIDENTIAL   CLEKK. 


"  "Were  you  ever  in  the  Haunted  House,  as 
it  is  called  ?" 

"  Never  1" 

"  That  does  not  sound  like  truth.  One  of 
the  young  men  who  broke  into  the  house  has 
been  taken  up  for  highway  robbery.  There 
is  a  droll  account  of  their  being  frightened 
away  by  a  brave  boy,  whose  name  was  not 
mentioned.  Phineas  Shanby  is  the  one  who 
was  apprehended,  and  he  will  undoubtedly 
betray  his  accomplices.  Moreover,  there  is  a 
reward  of  a  thousand  dollars  offered  for  their 
detection,  and  the  other  two  will  not  escape." 

"  Phineas  Shanby  did  not  steal  anything," 
muttered  the  terrified  boy  to  himself. 

"  Richard  Moland  !  you  are  one  of  the  bur 
glars  for  whom  the  reward  was  offered,"  ex 
claimed  Mr.  Lawton,  fixing  his  eyes  on  the 
trembling  culprit. 

"  Oh,  uncle,  uncle  !  have  pity  on  me.  Where 
shall  I  hide  myself,"  cried  the  terrified  clerk. 

"  Then  you  confess  the  crime,  wretched  boy  ?" 

The  boy  hid  his  face,  and  groaned  aloud. 

There  was  a  pause  of  some  moments.  Then 
the  unfortunate  Dick  said,  "  Shanby  told  us 
no  one  lived  in  the  miser's  house,  and  that 
everybody  went  there  to  search  for  money.  I 
did  not  know  it  was  a  crime." 


142  GET   MONEY. 

"  ISTo  one  has  seen  this  envelope,  excepting 
ourselves,"  said  Lewis,  as  he  tore  the  proof 
of  Dick's  guilt  into  small  pieces.  "I  was 
going  to  ask  Mr.  Lawton's  advice  about  it  this 
morning.  The  companion  who  tempted  you 
to  this  unfortunate  affair  may  not  betray  you." 

"But  the  reward — 'A  thousand  dollars!' 
It  is  not  possible  that  you  will  not  betray  me," 
said  Dick,  staring  wildly  at  Lewis. 

"  I  will  not  betray  you,"  was  the  instant 
reply. 

"  Justice  demands  that  he  should  be  punish 
ed,"  sternly  remarked  Mr.  Lawton. 

"  Oh,  spare  him,  Mr.  Lawton ;  spare  him. 
He  thought  it  was  an  empty  house,  and  was 
led  into  error  by  one  older  in  years  and  crime 
than  himself,"  earnestly  pleaded  Lewis  Len- 
ning. 

"  Wicked  boy  !  "What  will  be  your  misera 
ble  end  ?  It  is  not  for  me  to  spare  you  ;  the 
law  will  have  its  victims,"  was  Mr.  Lawton's 
uncompromising  reply. 

"  Let  me  get  out  of  the  way — let  me  go  to 
sea — anywhere.  I  never,  never  will  do  wrong 
again,"  pleaded  the  unhappy  boy. 

**  Oh,  sir,  consider  that  he  was  tempted  by 
a  plausible  villain,  older  than  himself,"  added 
Lewis. 


THE   CONFIDENTIAL   CLEKK.  14:3 

Mr.  Lawton  sat  down  by  his  desk,  leaned 
his  head  on  his  hands  for  two  or  three  minutes, 
and  then  lifting  it  up,  with  a  countenance 
"  more  in  sorrow  than  in  anger"  said,  "  Poor 
creature  !  you  must  go  to  sea.  I  can  devise 
no  other  way  of  escape ;  and,  as  I  believe 
you  were  foolishly  led  astray,  I  must  assist  you. 
There  is  a  whaling  vessel  to  sail  from  New 
Bedford  to-morrow.  She  is  ready,  excepting 
a  few  more  sailors  are  wanting.  I  will  send 
you  to  the  captain  for  a  cabin-boy. 

The  next  thing  to  deciding,  with  Mr.  Law- 
ton,  was  to  act.  He  immediately  wrote  a  let 
ter  to  Captain  Tarbox,  and  then  another  to  Mr. 
Seaborn. 

"  Dick,  good-bye — that  means,  you  know, 
'  God  be  with  you  1'  Take  this  letter  to  your 
captain,"  said  Mr.  Lawton. 

«  What !  am  I  to  go  right  off.  Oh !  I  am 
afraid  of  the  sea,"  woefully  cried  Dick. 

"  You  have  reason  to  be  more  afraid  of  a  pri 
son.  There's  no  other  escape.  The  train  leaves 
in  ten  minutes.  All  you  need  for  an  outfit 
will  -be  provided  by  the  captain.  Have  you 
money  to  pay  your  passage  on  the  rail-road?" 

"  I  have  not  a  cent  of  money  with  me." 

"Well,  here's  a  ticket;  you  won't  need 
money." 


14:4  GET   MONEY. 

"  No  money !  no  money  1"  dolefully  ex 
claimed  the  boy. 

"  No  ;  what  need  will  you  have  for  money 
among  the  whales  ?  Captain  Tarbox  will  pro 
vide  you  with  everything  necessary.  Hurry, 
or  you  will  be  left." 

u  Good-bye,"  said  Lewis,  grasping  the  hand 
of  the  miserable  boy,  and  at  the  same  time 
leaving  in  his  hand  a  silver  dollar.  It  was 
all  the  money  that  Lewis  had  in  his  pocket. 

For  the  first  time  tears  of  real  penitence 
started  to  the  eyes  of  the  wretched  Dick  ;  and, 
with  a  murmured  "  Thank  you,"  he  left  the 
counting-room.  Soon  he  was  on  the  rail-road 
speeding  away  to  New  Bedford. 

Mr.  Lawton  had  observed  the  generous  act 
of  Lewis  Lenning.  He  laid  his  hand  lovingly 
on  the  shoulder  of  the  noble  boy,  saying, 
"  You  have  learned  to  act  in  the  spirit  of  the 
petition — '  Forgive  us  our  trespasses  as  we  for 
give  those  who  trespass  against  us.' " 


CHAPTER  XYI. 

IDELETTE     SCOFIELD. 

MR.  LAWTON  explained  to  Lewis  the  details 
of  the  new  employment  to  which  he  was  now 
to  devote  himself.  He  must  be  punctually  in 
the  counting-room  at  eight  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and  remain  there,  with  the  exception 
of  half  an  hour  for  luncheon  or  dinner,  until 
four  in  the  afternoon  in  winter,  and  five  in 
summer. 

"  You  perceive,  my  young  friend,"  said 
Mr.  Lawton,  "  that  you  will  not  be  occupied 
as  many  hours  a  day,  in  my  counting-room,  as 
clerks  usually  are  in  mercantile  houses.  The 
rest  of  the  time  will  be  at  your  own  disposal. 
Do  you  understand  French  and  Spanish  ?" 

Lewis  replied  that  he  did  not.  but  that  he 
could  acquire  those  languages,  if  Mr.  Lawton 
thought  it  would  be  for  his  advantage. 

"  It  will  be  both  for  your  advantage  aad  my 
13  145 


144  GET   MONEY. 

"  No  money  !  no  money !"  dolefully  ex 
claimed  the  boy. 

"  No  ;  what  need  will  you  have  for  money 
among  the  whales  ?  Captain  Tarbox  will  pro 
vide  you  with  everything  necessary.  Hurry, 
or  you  will  be  left." 

u  Good-bye,"  said  Lewis,  grasping  the  hand 
of  the  miserable  boy,  and  at  the  same  time 
leaving  in  his  hand  a  silver  dollar.  It  was 
all  the  money  that  Lewis  had  in  his  pocket. 

For  the  first  time  tears  of  real  penitence 
started  to  the  eyes  of  the  wretched  Dick  ;  and, 
with  a  murmured  "  Thank  you,"  he  left  the 
counting-room.  Soon  he  was  on  the  rail-road 
speeding  away  to  New  Bedford. 

Mr.  Lawton  had  observed  the  generous  act 
of  Lewis  Lenning.  He  laid  his  hand  lovingly 
on  the  shoulder  of  the  noble  boy,  saying, 
"  You  have  learned  to  act  in  the  spirit  of  the 
petition — *  Forgive  us  our  trespasses  as  we  for 
give  those  who  trespass  against  us.' " 


CHAPTER  XYI. 

IDELETTE     SCOFIELD. 

ME.  LAWTON  explained  to  Lewis  the  details 
of  tlie  new  employment  to  which  he  was  now 
to  devote  himself.  He  must  be  punctually  in 
the  counting-room  at  eight  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and  remain  there,  with  the  exception 
of  half  an  hour  for  luncheon  or  dinner,  until 
four  in  the  afternoon  in  winter,  and  five  in 
summer. 

"You  perceive,  my  young  friend,"  said 
Mr.  Lawton,  "  that  you  will  not  be  occupied 
as  many  hours  a  day,  in  my  counting-room,  as 
clerks  usually  are  in  mercantile  houses.  The 
rest  of  the  time  will  be  at  your  own  disposal. 
Do  you  understand  French  and  Spanish  ?" 

Lewis  replied  that  he  did  not.  but  that  he 
could  acquire  those  languages,  if  Mr.  Lawton 
thought  it  would  be  for  his  advantage. 

"  It  will  be  both  for  your  advantage  and  my 
13  145 


14:6  GET   MONEY. 

own ;  for  in  time  you  might  write  my  letters 
to  foreign  correspondents,  and  your  salary 
would  then  be  larger.  I  shall  allow  you  two 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  the  first  year, 
and  that  is  much  more  than  I  have  ever  given 
to  a  clerk  of  your  age  for  a  year's  service. 
Will  you  be  satisfied  with  it  ?  Of  course  you 
will  have  a  fair  opportunity  to  acquire  a 
knowledge  of  our  mercantile  business." 

Lewis  remembered  the  half  dollar  a  week 
he  had  been  offered  as  errand-boy,  and  the 
still  less  encouraging  offer  to  serve  the  first 
year  for  nothing ,  in  a  dry  goods  store,  and 
readily  accepted  this  more  eligible  proposal. 
In  the  performance  of  the  tasks  appointed  by 
Mr.  Lawton,  the  remainder  of  the  day  passed 
quietly  and  pleasantly  with  Lewis,  excepting 
when  a  thought  of  the  poor  tempted  and  fallen 
young  men  now  and  then  glanced  through  his 
pitying  mind. 

On  his  return  home,  Lewis  was  joined  by 
Mr.  Ferguson,  who  abruptly  addressed  him  : 

"I  understand  Mr.  Lawton  has  taken  you 
into  his  counting-room  as  a  clerk.  So  I  sup 
pose  you  are  now  provided  for,  especially  as 
you  have  no  house-rent  to  pay  for  the  coming 
year." 

"  I  do  not  know  what  the  expense  of  living 


IDELETTE   SCOFTELD.  147 

will  be  in  this  part  of  the  country,  but  1  think, 
with  rigid  economy,  we  may  possibly  get 
along,"  replied  Lewis. 

"  Of  course,  you  do  not  expect  the  reward 
offered  for  the  detection  of  the  housebreakers, 
as  you  pointed  out  only  one  of  them,  and  he 
was  not  arrested  for  that  crime,"  suggested 
Mr.  Ferguson. 

u  I  expect  no  reward  from  you,  sir." 

"  "Well,  then,  you  will  have  more  than  you 
expect.  Here  is  a  whole  eagle  for  you — ten 
dollars." 

"No,  sir;  keep  your  money,  I  have  not 
earned  it.  I  accept  the  offer  of  the  rent,  know 
ing  that  we  are  protecting  the  property,  and 
shall  be  obliged  to  put  some  improvements 
upon  it." 

Mr.  Ferguson  quietly  slipped  the  eagle  into 
his  pocket,  and  remarked,  "  You  are  a  singu 
lar  boy,  very  singular.  I  will  give  you  the 
lease  of  the  house  for  one  year,  in  manner  and 
form,  for  the  ten  dollars  you  have  already 
paid.  Have  you  any  idea  who  the  other  fel 
lows  'were  who  broke  in  with  Shanby  ?  That 
villain  obstinately  refuses  to  give  them  up  to 
justice.  It  seems  there  is  'honor  among 
thieves.' " 


148  GET  MONET. 

"The  others  were  not  thieves,"  replied 
Lewis,  evading  the  question. 

"  Fortunately,  they  were  not,  so  their  dis 
covery  is  of  no  consequence,"  quickly  retorted 
the  broker;  "I  will  let  the  other  scamps 
escape — and  have  ordered  the  handbills  to  be 
taken  down,  and  the  police  to  give  up  the 
search.  The  robber  will  have  a  nice  time  for 
reflection  in  prison." 

"  How  and  where  did  the  robbery  take 
place  ?"  asked  Lewis. 

Mr.  Ferguson  related  the  circumstances,  as 
they  walked  along,  and  when  they  came  near 
the  spot  where  it  had  occurred,  he  pointed  it 
out  to  Lewis.  "  It  makes  me  nervous  to  think 
of  it,"  said  Mr.  Ferguson,  with  a  shudder. 
"  I  will  take  the  omnibus,  for  I  am  not  sure  it 
is  safe  for  me  to  pass  over  this  lonely  Neck 
with  money  about  me." 

Mr.  Ferguson  hailed  the  omnibus,  and  left 
Lewis  to  pursue  his  way  homeward  alone. 

The  boy  was  not  conscious  of  having  done 
anything  remarkable,  in  refusing  a  reward  for 
a  service  which  had  given  him  inexpressible 
pain.  He  had  not  done  it  for  the  sake  of  his 
grasping  landlord,  but  because  justice  and  his 
own  safety  demanded  it. 


IDELETTE   SCOFIELD. 


The  goodness  of  Lewis  Lenning  was  so  true 
and  inbred  as  to  have  become  a  part  of  his 
very  nature  ;  that  is,  long  use  had  rendered  it 
second  nature  —  or,  as  it  is  more  scripturally 
termed,  a  new  nature  had  been  implanted 
in  his  heart. 

When  Louis  reached  home,  Mr.  Lawton's 
carriage  was  standing  before  the  Haunted 
House,  where  it  had  been  for  the  last  half 
hour. 

Ernest  Scofield  and  his  sister  Idelette  had 
come  to  inquire  after  Mrs.  Lenning,  and  were 
now,  with  Lottie,  in  the  good  lady's  room. 

Lewis,  conscious  of  having  been  quite  neg 
lectful  the  preceding  day  of  his  mother's 
travelling  companions,  now  hastened  to  make 
his  humble  apology.  Pardon  was  readily 
granted. 

Idelette  Scofield,  a  dark  -haired,  bright-eyed 
girl,  just  the  age  of  Lewis,  was  as  full  of  fun 
as  a  child  four  years  old.  It  would  seem  as 
though  the  stately  gravity  of  her  reverend 
father  had  only  served  to  stimulate  the  mirth- 
fulness  of  the  daughter. 

"  I  have  scarcely  seen  you,  Miss  Idelette, 
since  I  left  school  ;  what  have  you  been  doing 
all  this  while  ?"  inquired  Lewis. 

"  Making  sport  of  stupid  scholars,  such  as 
13* 


150  GET   MONEY. 

you  were,  Mister  Lewis,  and  misbehaving 
generally." 

"  Was  my  Lewis  then  so  stupid  a  scholar  ?" 
asked  Mrs.  Lenning. 

"  Indeed  he  was.  "Whenever  I  proposed  any 
mischief,  such  as  tying  the  tail  of  a  kite  to 
my  father's  wig  for  a  queue,  or  putting  a 
cream  cake  in  Mat  Dawson's  hat,  so  that 
when  Mat  put  it  on,  his  forehead  might  have 
the  benefit  of  a  little  cold  cream,  Lewis 
would  stare  at  me  as  stupidly  as  I  did  at  his 
algebraic  problems  on  the  black  board." 

"  ISTo  doubt,  I  was  then,  as  now,  a  very 
stupid  fellow.  Your  compositions,  Miss  Ide- 
lette  were  always  numbered  higher  than 
mine,"  replied  Lewis. 

"  Partiality,  partiality.  Papa  is  so  grave, 
that  any  thing  odd  which  makes  him  laugh  he 
considers  smart.  And  you,  Lottie,  do  you 
still  continue  loyal  to  those  grim-visaged  old 
maids  the  Muses  ?  I  remember  you  walked 
like  Johnny  Look-in-the-air,  with  eyes  and 
thoughts  far  above  this  mundane  sphere,  so 
that  poor  earthly  1  couldn't  get  even  a  con 
descending  glance  from  you." 

"  Please,  Miss  Idelette,  don't  make  sport  of 
me,"  said  Charlotte,  deprecatingly,  the  color 
flushing  her  fair  face  so  readily,  that  Ide- 


EDELETTE   SCOFIELD.  151 

lette  whispered,  "  My  dear,  the  fire  in  your 
cheeks  will  scorch  your  blue  eyes,"  and  then 
she  continued  aloud : 

"  Forgive  me,  Lottie ;  you  are  too  sweet 
and  amiable  to  deserve  teasing  from  a  good- 
for-naught  like  me.  Mr.  Lewis  needn't  speak 
of  my  compositions ;  Lottie  wrote  the  very 
best — number  one — in  our  school,  didn't  she, 
Ernest  ?"  appealing  to  her  brother,  who  was 
rejoicing  in  the  dignity  of  a  sophomore  in 
college. 

"  Miss  Lenning  was  very  young  when  I 
left  school ;  but  I  remember  perfectly  her  taste 
was  classical,  and  she  did  not  in  vain  woo  the 
Muses,''  replied  the  young  student. 

Lottie's  color  did  not  lessen  at  this  formal 
speech.  Ernest  Scofield  was  just  at  the  age 
when  the  attempt  to  make  pretty  speeches  to 
young  girls  is  usually  a  complete  failure.  At 
school,  the  oldest  boy,  and  the  teacher's  son, 
he  was  looked  up  to  as  an  oracle. 

Idelette  hastened  to  relieve  Lottie  from  em 
barrassment.  "  To-morrow  we  are  going  to 
an  drtist's  studio  in  Boston,  where  we  expect 
to  be  charmed  with  some  beautiful  statuary. 
Mr.  Lawton  told  me  to  invite  you,  Lottie,  to 
join  us.  We  will  come  for  you,  if  you  say  so, 
at  twelve  o'clock." 


152  GET   MONEY. 

"  Thank  yon,  I  should  be  pleased  to  go  with 
you." 

"  Mr.  Lewis  is  to  join  us  at  the  studio;  that 
is,  if  Mr.  Lawton  can  persuade  him  to  leave 
his  beloved  writing-desk  for  a  single  hour." 

"  He  will  have  no  difficulty  when  such  in 
ducements  are  offered,"  said  Lewis,  bowing 
with  mock  gallantry. 

"I  suppose  Lottie  and  I  must  twist  that 
speech  into  a  compliment ;  as  hard  a  twist 
and  as  unsatisfactory  as  I  used  to  make,  when 
I  put  my  straight  black  hair  in  papers  to 
make  it  curl  like  Lottie's  soft  flaxen  ringlets. 
Will  you  be  ready  at  twelve  o'clock  to-mor 
row?" 

"  What  do  you  say,  mother,  can  you  spare 
me?"  asked  Lottie. 

"  Certainly,  and  be  very  happy  to  have  you 
enjoy  the  pleasure.  Polly  will  take  good 
care  of  me." 

"  It  is  arranged  then.  Do  you  know,  Mrs. 
Lenning,  that  my  top-knots  have  had  to  come 
down  wonderfully  since  I  have  been  in  the 
proud  city,"  said  Idelette,  with  a  comical 
grimace  and  a  toss  of  the  head. 

"  So  soon,  Miss  Idelette  !" 

"  Yes,  indeed.  Why,  at  Waterville  every 
body  treated  the  minister's  daughter  with 


IDELETTE   SCOFIELD.  153 

superlative  respect ;  even  the  grey -haired 
gentlemen  of  the  old  school,  touched  their 
hats  to  me  in  Sir  Charles  Grandison  style.  I 
fondly  thought  Miss  Idelette  Scofield  was  an 
important  somebody.  In  Boston,  T  am  just 
nobody.  People  shove  by  me  in  the  street, 
and  elbow  me  almost  into  the  gutters,  crush 
ing  my  sleeve  stiffeners,  and  disregarding 
even  my  new  fashionable  bonnet  and  conse 
quential  airs.  It  is  only  when  lifted  up  above 
foot  passengers,  by  Mr.  Law  ton's  carriage, 
tli at  I  am  deemed  worthy  of  the  slightest 
notice.  Now,  do  you  know,  I  am  so  proud  I 
can't  endure  to  owe  my  consequence  entirely 
to  a  rich  man's  equipage  ?" 

"  Many  persons  owe  their  consequence  to 
externals  as  foreign  to  themselves  as  a  bor 
rowed  equipage.  You  must  consider,  Miss 
Idelette,  you  are  a  stranger  in  the  city,"  sug 
gested  Mrs.  Lenning. 

"  It  is  forced  on  me  at  every  turn.  I  had 
supposed  that  I  should  be  recognized  as  a 
well-bred  young  lady  anywhere  ;  yet,  here  the 
very  clerks  behind  the  counters  despise  my 
rusticity.  They  tell  me  what  is  fashionable 
and  what  is  pretty  with  such  impertinent  airs, 
that  I  am  ready  to  ask,  do  you  know  who 
you  are  talking  to  ?  I  am  the  Reverend  John 


154:  GET   MONEY. 


Scofield's  daughter,  of  Waterville,  and  have 
been  tutored  in  Latin  and  Greek,  besides  a 
dozen  ologies,  not  excepting  theology,  and 
I  look  down  on  your  city  ignorance  with  su 
perlative  contempt." 

"  You  cannot  be  in  earnest,  sister,"  re 
marked  young  Mr.  Scofield. 

"Not  more  than  half  —  you  are  always  ear 
nest." 

"  A  very  poor  pun,  yet  it  haunts  me  like 
the  Eumenides.  I  shall  apply  to  the  Legisla 
ture  to  change  my  name,"  remarked  Ernest 
Scofield. 

"Come,  brother,  I  have  perpetrated  non 
sense  enough  for  one  visit.  We  must  leave 
now,"  said  Idelette,  starting  up  and  tossing  her 
pretty  head,  on  which  was  jauntily  perched 
the  large  fashionable  bonnet,  burdened  with 
full-blown  roses. 

As  they  passed  out  to  the  carriage,  through 
the  front  yard,  they  met  Polly  Potts,  who, 
holding  up  both  hands,  exclaimed,  "  Highty- 
tighty!  if  this  isn't  our  country  friend,  Miss 
Idy  !  How  you  loom  up  and  bloom  up  be 
fore  my  astonished  eyes  !" 

"  How  d'ye  do,  Polly  ?"  said  Idelette,  shak 
ing  hands  cordially  with  the  faithful  domestic, 
without  the  slightest  shadow  of  the  conse- 


IDELETTE   SCOFIELD.  155 

quential  air  she  had  attributed  to  herself. 
"I  am  glad  a  person  living  in  sight  of  the 
big  city  approves  of  my  fashionable  bon 
net." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE   SCULPTOR'S   STUDIO. 

THE  next  day,  at  the  appointed  hour,  the 
four  young  people  met  at  the  sculptor's  studio. 
Ernest  Scofield  was  learned  and  classical  on 
the  occasion.  He  quoted  Homer  and  Yirgil, 
^Eschylus  and  Euripides,  Horace  and  Ovid, 
and  talked  of  the  patronizing  Pericles  and  the 
perfect  Phidias ;  of  Callicrates  and  Lysippus. 
Preferred  the  Yenus  de  Medici  to  the  Yenus 
of  the  Capitol,  and  wondered  why  Wisdom 
should  be  represented  by  a  woman.  Idelette, 
as  usual,  was  full  of  mischief.  Aware  of  the 
ridiculous  pedantry  of  her  sophomorean  bro 
ther,  she  exclaimed,  "  Have  pity  on  us,  Ernest ! 
Why,  you  hurl  down  the  whole  hierarchy  of 
Olympus  on  our  devoted  heads."  Then  turn 
ing  to  Lewis,  she  remarked,  "  What  a  mighty 
misfortune  has  befallen  you,  Mr.  Lewis  Len- 
jiing!  what  a  descent  from  the  company  of 

156 


157 


those   puissant  'personages,   with  whom  you 
revelled    in    nectar    and    ambrosia,    to    the 
counting-room  of  a  Boston  merchant  1" 
"  You  know,  in  these  degenerate  days," 

<:  'Lord  Stafford  mines  for  coal  and  salt, 
The  Duke  of  Norfolk  deals  in  malt, 
The  Douglas  iix  red  herrings  ;' 

and  your  quondam  fellow-student  is  but  too 
happy,  with  the  prospect  of  dealing  in  wool 
sacks  and  cotton-bales,"  replied  Lewis;  "I 
was  just  thinking  somebody  must  be  rich,  to 
purchase  the  exquisite  works  of  art.  This 
reminds  me  of  what  my  mother  once  said : 
Money  is  only  a  means  to  an  end.  That  end 
may  be  a  noble  one,  or  the  most  ignoble  pos 
sible  ;  for  instance,  when  the  master  passion 
becomes  either  avarice  or  sensuality.  While 
gaining  wealth,  a  man  may  cultivate  taste  for 
art,  and  then  he  will  know  how  to  enjoy  his 
wealth,  and  benefit  others.  Don't  I  talk  now 
like  my  good  mother  ?"  said  Lewis,  with  the 
consciousness  that  he  had  been  somewhat 
prosy. 

"What  you  say  is  very  true,"  responded 
the  artist ;  "  several  of  our  Boston  merchants 
are  men  of  liberal  education  and  cultivated 
H 


158  GET   MONEY. 

taste.  They  are  our  best  patrons.  In  no  city 
in  the  world  are  the  merchants  superior  to 
them.  The  palmy  days  of  Art  in  Italy  were 
during  the  time  when  the  merchant  princes 
flourished." 

"  Ah !"  exclaimed  Ernest  Scofield,  with  a 
contemptuous  sneer,  "  I  suspect  your  Boston 
merchants  buy  a  statue  as  they  would  iron,  by 
weight." 

"Excuse  me,  sir,  you  are  quite  mistaken. 
I  repeat  it,  give  me  a  Boston  merchant  for 
a  patron!  They  are  appreciative  connois 
seurs.  A  taste  for  Art  does  not  depend  on  the 
ability  to  calculate  an  eclipse,  or  a  familiar 
acquaintance  with  the  dead  languages.  That 
young  girl's  quiet  admiration  of  my  works, 
and  the  casts  from  chefs-d'ceuvre,  has  grati 
fied  me  exceedingly.  I  have  been  studying 
her  expressive  countenance  lighted  up  with 
the  enthusiasm  of  genius,  and  am  convinced 
she  has  a  poetical  temperament,  and  uncom 
mon  love  of  the  Beautiful." 

The  artist  thus  directed  their  attention  to 
Charlotte  Lenning,  who,  meanwhile,  was 
standing  in  rapt  attention  before  a  statue  of 
Nidia,  the  blind  girl  of  Pompeii.  She  did 
not  hear  the  artist's  remark,  but  the  whisper 
of  Ernest  Scofield, — "  poeta  nascitur  non 


159 


fit"  came  with  a  sound  which  tingled  in  the 
ears  of  the  absorbed,  admiring  Lottie.  How 
ever,  by  an  effort  of  self-control,  she  retained 
her  position,  without  appearing  to  notice  the 
remark. 

"  I  have  been  admiring  some  statues,  copies 
from  the  antique,  at  Mr.  Lawton's,"  said  Ide- 
lette.  "  I  do  hope  our  American  artists  will 
have  independence  enough  to  depart  from 
Greek  models,  and  give  us  human  nature  as 
it  is  now-a-days.  I  am  tired  of  those  straight- 
nosed  gods  and  goddesses.  A  nose  less  celes 
tial,  and  yet  more  celestial  in  its  tendency, 
like  my  own,  for  example,  which  Ernest  calls 
pugnacious,  would,  I  suppose,  shock  a  sculp 
tor  ;  yet,  I  have  been  told  it  is  not  altogether 
disagreeable  to  painters,  who  seek  for  expres 
sion  as  well  as  beauty." 

"  There  is  that  in  the  serene  repose  of  Gre 
cian  statues  which  we  cannot  find  in  our 
e very-day  life,"  replied  the  artist.  "  Besides, 
we  have  so  long  been  accustomed  to  what  are 
termed  classical  features,  where  beauty  of 
countenance  is  sought  in  sculpture,  that  we 
fear  to  depart  from  the  established  standard." 

"  I  am  a  foolish  girl,  and  have  no  right  to 
criticise,"  said  Idelette  ;  "  but  it  does  seem  to 
me  that  an  architect  might  as  well  copy  the 


160  GET   MONEY. 

Grecian  orders  in  every  building,  barn  or 
barracks,  as  a  sculptor  copy  Grecian  features 
for  a  Peri,  or  a  Pocahontas." 

Attracted  by  this  discussion,  Lottie  had 
drawn  near  to  the  rest  of  the  party,  and  now 
timidly  inquired,  "  Is  there  not  ii* Christianity 
a  higher  attribute  than  the  serene  repose  of 
the  gods  of  paganism  ?" 

"  There  is ;  we  have  a  more  noble  ideal 
than  they  possibly  could  have  had,"  replied 
the  artist. 

"And  will  not  our  artists  aspire  after  what 
is  not  only  superlatively  beautiful,  but  su 
premely  good  ?"  modestly  suggested  Lottie. 

"  Miss  Lenning,  you  are  now  quite  w  nu- 
bibus"  said  Mr.  Ernest  Scofield. 

"  Yes,  Lottie,  it  is  time  for  us  to  leave  these 
elevated  regions,  or  we  shall  lose  you  entirely. 
I  think  I  already  detect  incipient  wings  be 
neath  your  muslin  cape,"  said  Idelette,  mer 
rily. 

After  thanking  the  artist  for  his  polite 
attentions,  the  young  people  left,  and  were 
soon  on  their  way  to  the  beautiful  cemetery 
of  Mount  Auburn.  That  day  was  one  to  be 
marked  with  a  white  stone  by  them,  so  rich 
was  it  in  enjoyment  and  good  resolutions. 
Lewis  had  hitherto  considered  his  being  a 


THE  SCULPTOR'S  STUDIO.  161 

merchant  one  of  those  providential  dispensa 
tions  to  which  he  ought  to  yield  without  a 
murmur.  Believing  a  collegiate  education 
the  only  liberal  one,  it  had  cost  him  many  a 
pang  to  relinquish  it.  By  becoming  a  mer 
chant,  he  could  sooner  support  his  mother  and 
sister,  yet  he  had  never  till  this  day  been  able 
to  look  upon  the  change  in  his  prospects  with 
complacency.  The  three  learned  professions 
his  imagination  had  encircled  with  a  halo  of 
glory.  Looking  down  the  vista  of  years,  Lewis 
had  seen  himself  invested  with  the  dignity  of 
a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court;  when  in  a 
more  serious  mood,  the  eloquent  doctor  of 
divinity,  holding  thousands  entranced  by  his 
thrilling  eloquence,  was  a  still  more  glorious 
vision.  On  this  day,  h«  became  more  than 
reconciled  to  his  new  avocation. 

Even  at  Mount  Auburn,  where  splendid 
monuments  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the 
learned  and  the  great,  there  were  others  tes 
tifying  to  the  goodness  which  enabled  the '  de 
parted  to  "  answer  life's  great  end." 

Lewis  would  pursue  the  career  of  a  mer 
chant  honorably  and  nobly,  and  in  acquiring 
wealth,  would  neither  starve  his  mind  nor  his 
soul. 

The  gaiety  of  Idelette  Scofield  was  subdued 
14* 


162  GET  MONET. 

while  she  wandered  with  Lewis  among  the 
quiet  graves  where  "the  rose  blooms  above 
the  mould,"  and  her  thoughts  reverted  rever 
entially  to  the  solemn  lessons  she  had  so  often 
heard,  inattentively,  from  the  lips  of  her 
pious  father. 

Lottie  Lenning's  heart  was  ever  in  tune  to 
respond  to  the  poetical,  the  beautiful,  and  the 
religious,  and  now  thrilled  with  these  emo 
tions  as  the  ^Eolian  harp  vibrates  to  the  soft 
breath  of  summer  winds.  Ernest  Scofield's 
pedantry  was  silenced.  Drawn  irresistibly 
into  sympathy  with  his  companions,  he  be 
came  unaffected,  thoughtful,  and  true  to  his 
better  self. 

The  country  through  which  they  passed,  on 
their  way  home,  was  like  one  continuous  land 
scape-garden.  The  little  party,  subdued  to 
silence,  passed  on  in  pensive  enjoyment  of  the 
scenery.  Never,  in  after  life,  did  they  forget 
that  day  of  rational  recreation,  or  those  good 
resolutions  suggested  at  Mount  Auburn. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

OOUKAGE    AND     BRAVADO. 

LEWIS  now  entered  heartily  into  his  new 
mode  of  life.  With  the  advice  of  his  mother 
he  methodized  his  time  and  his  employments. 
He  rose  at  half-past  four  in  the  morning,  at 
live  went  to  the  garden,  and  worked  there  for 
an  hour  and  a  half,  breakfasted  at  half-past 
six,  then  read  and  attended  morning  worship 
with  his  mother  and  Lottie  until  half-past 
seven,  at  which  time  he  started  for  the  city, 
and  with  rapid  walking,  was  in  his  place  at 
the  counting-roorn  at  precisely  eight  o'clock. 

A  few  mornings  subsequent  to  the  visit  to 
Mount  Auburn,  Lottie  accompanied  Lewis  a 
part-  of  the  way  to  town.  They  had  not 
walked  far  before  they  were  joined  by  Anna 
Ferguson  and  her  brother. 

Morrison  addressed  Lewis  in  a  surly,  dis 
agreeable  manner,  "  Father  told  me  to  make 

168 


164  GET   MONET. 

an  apology  to  you  for  calling  you  hard  names. 
I  think  if  I  do,  you  ought  to  do  the  same  to 
me." 

"I  am  not  aware  of  having  called  you  by 
any  name  which  you  did  not  deserve,"  replied 
Lewis,  gravely. 

"  You  called  me  '  coward,'  you  know  you 
did,"  sulkily  replied  Morrison. 

"  The  means  you  took  to  prove  you  were 
not  a  coward  were  not  the  right  ones,"  re 
torted  Lewis. 

"  I  gave  the  boy  a  good  thrashing ;  what 
would  you  do,  Mr.  Wiseacre?"  saucily  de 
manded  Morrison. 

"  Whenever  an  occasion  offered  which  de 
manded  courage,  I  would  try  to  come  up  to 
it,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Just  as  you  did  when  you  played  the 
ghost,"  said  Anna  Ferguson.  "I  am  sure 
nobody  will  ever  call  Lewis  Lennirig  a  cow 
ard  after  that.  Papa  said  it  was  one  of  the 
bravest  things  he  ever  heard  of.  Why,  Mor 
ris  dare  not  set  his  foot  within  the  Haunted 
House,  even  in  broad  daylight." 

"  Hold  your  saucy  tongue,  miss ;  I  don't 
choose  to  go  there.  You  ran,  yourself,  the 
moment  you  came  in  sight  of  it." 

"  I  used  to,  but  not  since  somebody  lived 


COUBAGE  AND  BRAVADO.  165 

there.  I  shall  prove  I  am  not  afraid  to  go  in 
that  house,  for  papa  says  I  may  go  there  as 
often  as  I  please.  May  I  come,  Miss  Len- 
ning  ?"  asked  Anna. 

"Of  course,  if  you  please,"  said  Lottie. 

"  I  don't  think  they  are  suitable  company 
for  us ;  you  know  we  are  very  rich  now," 
whispered  Morrison  in  his  sister's  ear,  but  not 
too  softly  to  be  heard  by  Lewis  and  Lottie. 

"  Sister,  this  is  as  far  as  you  were  to  go  this 
morning.  Good  bye,"  said  Lewis,  hurrying 
forward  as  rapidly  as  possible. 

"  Oh,  you  are  obliged  to  drudge  all  day  in 
a  dirty  counting-room.  Thank  my  stars, 
when  I  have  done  with  school  I  shall  have 
nothing  to  do  but  to  enjoy  myself,"  said  Mor 
rison. 

"  Good  morning,  brother ;  good  morning, 
Mr.  and  Miss  Ferguson,"  said  Lottie,  as  she 
parted  from  the  others,  and  turned  her  face 
homeward. 

The  civil  manner  in  which  Lottie  took 
leave  of  the  unwelcome  companions,  was  ac 
companied  with  a  slight  tone  of  contempt  in 
her  sweet  voice,  which  sounded  like  a  dis 
cord  in  music,  and  jarred  on  the  ear  of  Mor 
rison  Ferguson.  Anna  did  not  perceive  it, 
and  as  they  walked  on  together  she  said 


166  GET   MONEY. 

to  her  brother,  "  Don't  you  think  that  Len- 
ning  girl  is  very  pretty  ?" 

"  I  neither  know  nor  care — I  don't  notice 
such  scrubs." 

"  Scrubs  !  Why,  Morris !  Papa  says  the 
brother  and  sister  are  both  so  well-bred — that 
he  wishes  we  were  like  them.  He  says  the  rich 
Mr.  Lawton  takes  a  great  deal  of  notice  of 
them,  and  he  wishes  us  to  treat  them  very 
politely." 

"I'll  bet  you  he  don't  mean  you  should 
lower  yourself  by  visiting  at  the  Haunted 
House,"  scornfully  cried  Morris,  snapping  his 
fingers  in  his  sister's  face. 

"  You  are  grandly  mistaken,  Morris  ;  he  said 
I  might  go  there  just  as  often  as  I  please,  and 
I  may  invite  them  to  come  to  Rosehill." 

"  Then  he  has  some  other  reason  for  it  be 
sides  their  being  well-bred.  I  think  I  am  cute 
enough  to  know  what  it  is.  Now,  don't  you 
tell  anybody :  father  isn't  going  to  give  the 
reward  he  offered  on  the  handbills,  and  he 
wants  us  to  make  friends  with  these  Len- 
nings,  so  that  they  needn't  say  anything  about 
it.  I  know  the  old  gov.,  cunning  as  he  thinks 
himself.  I  hate  that  Lewis  Lenning ;  he  tries 
to  overtop  me,  but  he  can't  do  it;  and  I 
won't  be  civil  to  him  merely  because  he  found 


COURAGE   AND   BKAVADO.  167 

the  money,  and  gave  it  all  up.  I  don't,  for 
my  part,  see  why  he  was  such  a  fool  as  not  to 
keep  some  of  it  to  himself.  If  he  had  known 
father  as  well  as  we  do,  he  would  have  grabbed 
a  few  handfuls." 

Anna's  only  reply  was  a  sorrowful  shake 
of  the  head. 

Woe  to  the  parent  of  whom  a  child  speaks 
with  a  sneer  !  Woe  to  the  child  who  speaks 
contemptuously  of  a  parent ! 

*  -x-  -x-  *  * 

As  Mr.  Lawton  and  Lewis  were  together  in 
the  small  counting-room  that  morning,  the 
former  said,  "  Lay  aside  your  pen,  Lenning, 
and  take  a  seat  here  by  me  on  the  sofa ;  I 
have  something  to  say  to  you." 

Lewis  did  as  he  was  requested.  Mr.  Law- 
ton  continued  :  "  I  am  called  a  notional  man  ; 
perhaps  I  am  so.  One  of  my  notions  is,  that 
I  can  judge  of  a  person's  character  at  first 
sight.  My  long  intercourse  with  the  world 
may  have  given  me  this  clear  insight,  or  else 
I  possess  it  as  a  natural  gift.  The  human 
countenance  is  to  me  a  true  index  to  the  hu 
man  being.  Reverently  speaking,  I  be 
lieve  the  Creator  designed  the  material  sub 
stance  with  which  man  is  invested,  to  be  the 
outward  and  visible  sign  of  the  inward  and 


168  GET   MONEY. 

spiritual  being.  The  moment  I  looked  at  you, 
Lenning,  I  said  to  myself  *  There  is  honesty.' 
Retain  that  open,  truthful  countenance,  that 
respectful  but  fearless  manner  of  looking 
directly  in  the  eyes  of  the  person  to  whom 
you  are  speaking,  and  I  shall  feel  sure  that 
you  retain  the  same  character  which  you  now 
possess.  Faults  and  vices  c  crop  out '  on  the 
face ;  bad  passions  stamp  bad  lines  about  the 
mouth.  Keep  a  strict  watch  over  yourself, 
my  boy ;  it  is  fearful  to  think  of  the  tempta 
tions  to  which  you  will  be  exposed  in  this 
large  city.  God  help  you  to  resist  them  all. 

"  I  would  not  advise  you,  at  present,  to  make 
many  acquaintances  among  your  fellow- clerks. 
In  my  sanctum  you  are  shut  out  from  them, 
yet  there  are  many  ways  in  which  you  will 
come  in  contact  with  them,  especially  at  your 
dinner  hour.  You  may,  perhaps,  from  the 
superior  position  you  enjoy,  excite  envy  and 
jealousy.  You  will,  therefore,  be  careful  to 
treat  every  one  with  great  civility.  I.  am  very 
careful  in  selecting  my  young  men,  yet  there 
may  be  some  among  them  unworthy  of  con 
fidence.  I  have  suspicions  of  only  one  at  pre 
sent,  and  they  are  not  confirmed  by  positive 
knowledge.  1  am  very  far  from  wishing  you 
to  act  as  a  spy ;  I  know  you  would  detest  so 


COURAGE   AND   BRAVADO.  169 

mean  an  office.  It  is  only  to  put  you  on  your 
guard,  that  I  name  to  you,  in  confidence, 
Josiali  James  Nooden,  as  one  whom  you 
will  do  well  to  avoid.  He  has  been  in  my 
counting-room  for  two  years  past.  With  very 
good  features,  he  has  a  sinister  expression. 
Of  late  he  is  sleepy  every  morning,  and  has 
red  eyes.  When  I  address  him,  he  looks 
down.  I  am  sure  he  is  not  where  he  should  be 
at  night.  Be  careful  how  you  pass  your  eve 
nings,  Lenning;  home  is  the  best  place  for 
you.  Josiah  James  Nooden  is  the  tall  young 
man  yonder,  dressed  in  black.  Be  on  your 
guard,  if  he  makes  any  advances  to  you.  He 
has  much  influence  in  the  counting-room." 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  said  Lewis,  looking  at  the 
young  man  through  the  glass-door.  The  eager, 
intense  glance  seemed  to  penetrate  to  the  brain 
of  the  suspected  clerk  like  an  electric  flash,  for 
at  that  instant  his  eyes  were  turned  to  Lewis, 
and  then  dropped,  and  a  bright  flush  of  red 
spread  over  his  pale  face. 

Mr.  Lawton  continued.  "You  have  the 
material  for  a  first  rate  merchant,  Lenning; 
educate  yourself  to  be  A,  No.  1.  You  have 

in  this  city  a  noble  example  in  our  Mr.  P . 

Let  it  stimulate  you  to  a  noble   emulation. 

But  it  is  not  alone  as  a  merchant  that  you  are 

15 


170  GET   MONEY. 

to  be  educated,  but  as  a  man.  Let  your  first 
care  be  to  fill  out,  to  the  full  measure,  the  capa 
city  God  has  given  you  as  an  immortal  being. 
Then,  as  a  mortal  being,  you  are  to  'have  a 
vocation  on  earth,  and  to  make  that  vocation 
honorable  in  the  eyes  of  your  fellow-men. 

"  The  studies  to  which  you  are  more  espe 
cially  to  devote  yourself,  at  present,  are, 
French  and  Spanish,  physical  and  civil  geo 
graphy,  political  economy,  the  history  of  com 
merce  and  navigation,  and  the  lives  of  eminent 
merchants.  You  will  not,  of  course,  neglect 
other  reading,  which  our  excellent  Mercantile 
Library  affords,  to  refine  and  elevate  your 
mind,  and  thus  increase  your  resources  for 
happiness  in  the  domestic  circle.  It  is  con 
temptible  for  a  merchant  to  be  a  man  of  one 
idea — money-making." 

"  I  am  very  grateful  to  you,  Mr.  Lawton, 
for  your  kind  interest,  and  hope  I  shall  not 
disappoint  your  expectations.  But,  sir,  I  am 
young,  and  ignorant  with  regard  to  business 
matters.  I  beg  you  will  allow  me  to  come  to 
you  for  advice,  which  I  am  sure  I  shall  fre 
quently  need." 

"  Come  to  me,  my  lad,  whenever  you  need 
advice;  I  shall  give  it,  to  the  best  of  my 
ability.  After  this,  however,  no  more  prosing 


COURAGE   AND  BRAVADO.  171 

from  the  k  old  gent,'  as  I  have  heard  myself 
called,"  said  Mr.  Lawton,  with  one  of  his  pe 
culiarly  genial  smiles  lighting  up  his  usually 
inflexible  countenance. 

"  Here  are  a  few  leading  rules,  which  you 
may  put  by,  to  look  over  now  and  then.  I 
wrote  them  many  years  ago  for  myself,  and  I 
think  it  was  by  following  them  out,  that  I  be 
came  a  successful  merchant  (the  blessing  of 
God  always  understood)." 

So  saying,  Mr.  Lawton  handed  Lewis  a  slip 
of  paper,  on  which  was  written  as  follows  : 

TEN   RULES   FOR  A   YOUNG   MERCHANT. 

1.  "To  thine  own  self  be  true,  and  then 
thou  canst  not  be  false  to  any  man." — SHAKS. 

2.  Be  very  choice  of  words.     Business  let 
ters  should  be  brief.     Say  just  what  needs  to 
be  said,  clearly  and  to  the  point,  and  no  more. 
The  same  with  business  conversation.    "A  man 
of  many  words  shall  not  prosper."    A  man  of 
few  words  is  not  in  as  much  danger  of  being 
misunderstood  as  a  free,  voluble  talker.     Be 
sides,  an  attentive  listener  is  like  a  looker-on 
at  a  game ;  he  discovers  all  the  weak  points 
in  the  game. 

3.  Bying  and  selling  is  a  game  of  skill — • 
but  let  it  be  a  fair,  open  game ;  take  no  dis- 


172  GET  MONEY. 

honest  or  dishonorable  advantages  over  your 
adversary. 

4.  Never  speculate  in  any  of  the  necessaries 
of  life,  such  as   flour,  potatoes,  corn,  meat, 
etc.,  thus  raising  the  price  and  keeping  out  of 
the    market    provisions    on  which    the   poor 
mainly  depend  for  subsistence. 

5.  Give   to  every  one   whom  you  employ 
"  full  measure,  shaken  down,"  for  the  service 
rendered. 

6.  Be  courteous  to  high  and  low,  rich  and 
poor. 

7.  Be  as  punctual  as  the  sun,  and  consider 
time  as  precious  as  breath. 

8.  Choose  your  friends  for  their  worth  of 
character,  rather  than  for  the  length  of  their 
purses. 

9.  Keep  your  heart  sound  and  warm.     Let 
not  the  love  of  money  plant  a  root  of  bitter 
ness  in  its  very  core,  which  will  spread  cor 
ruption  through  the  whole  being. 

10.  Remember  in  whose  just  balance  all 
your  deeds  are  weighed,  and  be  prepared  to 
give  up,  at  any  moment,  your  final  account  to 
the  Great  Auditor. 


OHAPTEE  XIX. 

THE   HANDSOME   YOUNG   MAN. 

JOSIAH  JAMES  WOODEN  was  a  handsome 
young  man — a  very  handsome  young  man — 
everybody  said  so  ;  but  nobody  was  more 
fully  convinced  of  the  fact  than  Josiah  James 
himself.  The  large  sums  he  spent  in  the  deco 
ration  of  his  fine  person  were  but  too  well 
known  to  his  tailor.  Nooden  kept  no  account 
of  the  tricopherous  and  macassar  (which 
increased  the  purple  lustre  of  his  hair,  whis 
kers,  and  moustache),  though  the  druggist 
did,  and  now  and  then  sent  in  a  large  bill. 
A  glover  might  have  set  up  shop  in  a  small 
way,  with  the  gloves  of  silk,  and  of  white 
and  yellow  kid,  which  Mr.  Nooden  threw 
asjde  in  a  single  year — Paris  gloves,  which 
Nooden  boasted  he  never  wore  but  once.  His 
bootmaker  was  almost  as  great  a  sufferer  as 
himself;  with  the  maker  money  was  tight, 
with  the  customer — boots.  The  diamond 

15*  173 


174:  GET   MONEY. 

breast-pin  on  the  fine  shirt-bosom  of  Mr. 
den,  and  the  seal-ring  on  his  small  finger 
caused  many  a  pang  of  envy  as  they  sparkled 
before  the  eyes  of  his  fellow-clerks. 

Mr.  Nooden  had  a  smooth,  glib  tongue, 
which  he  used  for  his  own  advantage  in  va 
rious  ways. 

As  Lewis  was  walking  rapidly  through 
Washington  street,  on  his  way  homeward,  he 
was  accosted  by  some  one,  who  laid  a  hand 
on  his  shoulder,  saying,  "  Don't  be  in  haste, 
Mister  Lenning." 

It  was  Josiah  James  Nooden.  Lewis  slack 
ened  his  pace,  and  that  fashionable  gentleman 
condescended  to  say,  "  I  have  been  wishing 
to  cultivate  your  acquaintance  ever  since  our 
introduction.  I  will  walk  with  you,  if  you 
please." 

Had  it  not  been  for  the  caution  given  by 
Mr.  Lawton,  Lewis  might  have  felt  flattered 
by  the  compliment.  Boys  are  too  apt  to 
consider  the  company  of  gentlemen  older 
than  themselves  very  desirable. 

The  natural  politeness  of  Lewis  led  him 
to  reply,  "  Thank  you,  sir,  I  am  going  out  of 
town ;  do  you  go  the  same  way  ?" 

"  In  what  part  of  the  city  do  you  reside  ?" 
inquired  Nooden. 


THE   HANDSOME  TOTING   MA  1ST-  175 

"  I  do  not  live  in  the  city,"  modestly  re 
plied  Lewis. 

"  Indeed,  then  I  fear  you  lose  a  great  deal 
of  pleasure,"  said  Wooden,  giving  a  twist  to 
his  dark  moustache. 

"  I  like  the  country,"  remarked  Lewis, 
growing  more  bold. 

"  That  is  merely  a  matter  of  habit.  Were 
you  once  to  enjoy  life  in  town,  you  would 
never  again  bury  yourself  in  the  country.  It 
would  be  death  to  me.  Every  young  man 
who  has  been  brought  up  in  the  country 
needs  to  rub  off  the  rusticity  which  he  there 
contracts.  Excuse  me,  Mr.  Lenning,  your 
uncommonly  good  manners  show  that  you 
have  been  accustomed  to  the  best  society  a 
country  village  affords.  For  this  reason  I 
have  sought  your  acquaintance ;  but  you 
must  be  aware  that  a  village  circle  is  very 
different  -  from  the  elite  of  the  Athens  of 
America.  Do  you  ever  go  to  the  theatre  or 
the  opera?" 

"  Never." 

"  You  have  never  seen  that  star  of  the  first 
magnitude.  Miss  K ?" 

"Never." 

"Nor  ever  heard  the  incomparable,  the 
divine  Sign  or  a 


176  GET   MONEY. 

"  Never." 

Mr.  Nooden  now  entered  into  a  glowing 
description  of  these  celebrities.  He  was  bland, 
affable,  and  amusing.  Lewis,  being  forewarned 
and  forearmed  as  in  panoply  of  steel,  by  the 
cautions  of  Mr.  Lawton,  the  arrows  of  tempt 
ation  glanced  off,  without  inflicting  the  slight 
est  wound. 

Mr.  Nooden  accompanied  Lewis  across  the 
Neck,  and  to  the  corner  where  he  usually  met 
his  sister.  As  he  was  about  to  turn  the  cor 
ner,  he  saw  Lottie  running  down  the  hill,  sun- 
bonnet  in  hand,  whirling  it  about,  as  a  signal 
to  her  brother.  She  stopped  short,  on  seeing 
that  Lewis  was  not  alone.  Mr.  Nooden  did 
not  observe  Lottie's  approach,  and,  when  he 
reached  the  corner,  right  glad  was  Lewis  to 
hear  him  say,  "  Good  evening,"  and  to  see 
him  rapidly  walking  towards  town. 

"  Who  is  that  elegant  gentleman  ?"  eagerly 
inquired  Lottie. 

"  One  of  Mr.  Lawton's  clerks.  How  is  mo 
ther  to-day  ?"  was  the  quick  reply. 

"  Better  than  usual ;  she  actually  walked  to 
the  front  gate.  What  is  that  gentleman's 
name?" 

"Nooden.  I  hope  mother  will  not  try  her 
strength  rashly." 


THE   HANDSOME   YOUNG   MAN.  177 

"  She  is  not  apt  to  do  anything  rashly.  Sho 
went  out  to  see  my  precious  little  plants. 
The  seeds  Mr.  Lawton  gave  me  are  all  coming 
up.  Our  front-yard,  in  time,  will  look  very 
prettily.  Lewis,  dear,  I  am  afraid  you  do  not 
sufficiently  admire  the  beautiful.  I  should  be 
sorry  to  see  my  own,  my  only  brother,  a  dry, 
hard,  matter-of-fact  man — a  walking  page  of 
Colburn's  Arithmetic." 

"  It  is  you,  Lottie,  who  are  hard,  now,"  re 
plied  Lewis,  gravely. 

"Indeed,  brother,  you  already  begin  to 
show  the  effect  of  this  new  mode  of  life.  Posi 
tively,  your  lips  this  moment  are  as  tightly 
pressed  together  as  Mr.  Ferguson's,"  said 
Lottie,  peering  into  his  face  inquisitively. 

"  I  had  to  keep  them  closely  shut,  to  avoid 
talking  to  that  consummate  fop,  Nooden." 

"  You  are  severe,  too.  I  saw  only  a  very 
handsome  young  man,  with  dark  hair  and 
eyes.  I  took  him  for  a  foreigner." 

"  No  doubt,  Lottie,  your  brilliant  imagina 
tion  converted  the  clerk,  Josiah  James  Noo- 
den,  into  a  second  Thaddeus  of  Warsaw,  or 
the  veritable  Prince  de  Joinville.  I  was  glad 
to  be  freed  from  his  undesirable  companion 
ship." 

"  You  say  he  is  one  of  your  fellow-clerks ; 


ITS  GET   MONEY. 

do  you  know  anything  against  him?"  asked 
the  sister. 

"  I  know  he  assailed  me  with  temptations 
such  as  the  Arch-enemy  himself  might  have 
chosen,"  said,  Lewis,  with  a  contracted 
brow. 

"  And  you,  like  the  Seraph  Abdiel,  unshaken, 
unseduced,  but  not  <  unterrified,'  turned  your 
back  on  him  £  with  scorn  ;' "  jestingly  added 
Lottie. 

"  Sister,  don't  speak  so  lightly  of  this  mat 
ter;  my  acquaintance  with  that  handsome 
young  man  involves  consequences  which  you 
are  too  young  and  too  innocent  to  fear  or  to 
understand." 

"I  know  you,  brother,  to  be  armed  so 
strong  in  honesty  as  not  to  fear  the  attacks  of 
a  host  of  handsome  young  men.  But  now  the 
enemy  has  retreated,  you  need  not  keep  up 
this  defiant  air." 

"  When  we  feel  ourselves  weak,  Lottie, 
then  are  we  strong,  because  we  are  on  our 
guard,  and  ask  for  help  from  above.  Is  mo 
ther  ready  for  our  French  lesson  ?" 

"  Yes ;  books  all  open  on  the  table,  waiting 
for  you  not  to  lose  a  moment.  It  is  well,  bro 
ther,  for  you  to  have  your  walk  to  and  from 
town,  and  your  work  in  the  garden,  or  you 


THE    HANDSOME    YOUNG    MAN.  179 

could  not  bear  such  constant  mental  applica 
tion,"  kindly  and  soothingly  remarked  the 
amiable  Lottie. 

"  I  am  heartily  glad  we  do  not  live  in  the 
city,"  said  Lewis,  his  defiant  air  giving  place 
to  a  joyous  one,  as  he  opened  the  gate  at  the 
Haunted  House. 

Mrs.  Lenning  had  been  a  good  French 
scholar  in  her  school  days,  and  was  now  re 
viving  her  knowledge  of  the  language,  and 
giving  daily  lessons  to  Lewis  and  Lottie.  In 
the  pleasant  task  now  before  him,  Lewis  soon 
forgot  his  late  annoyance. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

TEMPTATION. 

JOSIAH  JAMES  NOODEN  was  not  a  man  to  be 
easily  repulsed.  A  few  days  after,  he  again 
joined  Lewis,  on  his  homeward  way. 

"  Here's  a  ticket  for  the  Opera,  Lenning ;  I 
took  the  liberty  to  secure  it  for  you,  when  I 
purchased  my  own,  this  morning.  Do  me  the 
favor  to  accept  it,"  said  he. 

"  Thank  you,  I  cannot  go  to  the  Opera  to 
night,"  was  the  decided  reply. 

"Why  not?" 

"  My  mother  and  sister  expect  me  home  at 
the  usual  time." 

"You  are  too  old  to  be  tied  to  your  mo 
ther's  apron-string.  There  is  no  harm  in  going 
to  the  Opera ;  and  if  it  is  too  late  to  go  home 
afterwards,  you  can  pass  the  remainder  of  the 
night  at  my  rooms.  Come,  we  will  take  an 
oyster  supper  first  at  Panotti's,"  said  the 
tempter,  with  his  most  fascinating  manner. 

180 


TEMPTATION.  181 

"Indeed,  you  must  excuse  me;  I  cannot 
go,"  firmly  replied  the  tempted. 

"  I  don't  believe  a  young  man  of  your  good 
sense  can  be  so  puritanical  as  to  think  there 
is  any  harm  in  the  Opera,"  continued  E"ooden, 
taking  Lenning  by  the  arm  in  the  most  fami 
liar  manner. 

"I  am  so  puritanical,  if  so  you  choose  to 
call  it,  as  to  avoid  forming  a  taste  for  expen 
sive  amusements,"  was  the  steady,  sensible 
reply. 

"But  they  will  cost  you  nothing;  here  is 
the  ticket,"  said  Nooden,  thrusting  it  into 
Lewis's  hand. 

"  It  is  not  merely  going  once  to  the  Opera," 
replied  Lewis,  forcing  back  the  ticket,  "  but 
the  danger  of  becoming  too  fond  of  amuse 
ments,  that  would  neither  agree  with  my 
means  nor  my  principles." 

"Ha!  ha!  ha!  You  talk  like  an  old  fogy 
of  sixty.  As  to  forming  a  taste  for  music,  you 
have  it  already.  I  heard  you  whistling  an  air 
from  'La  Sonnambula,'  as  I  joined  you  just 
now." 

"  I  did  not  know  that  it  was  opera  music. 
I  heard  the  air  played  by  a  band  in  the  street, 
and  was  trying  to  recollect  it.' 

"  You  had  it  perfectly,  Lenning.  It  would 
16 


182  GET   MONEY. 

be  a  sin  and  a  shame  not  to  cultivate  so  fine 
an  ear  for  music." 

Again  Nooden  offered  the  ticket,  and 
again  Lewis  rejected  it,  saying,  "  Do  not  urge 
it  upon  me ;  it  is  utterly  impossible  for  me  to 
accept  it." 

ISTooden  put  the  ticket  in  his  pocket,  and 
abruptly  asked,  "  "What  has  become  of  Dick 
Moland  ?" 

Lewis  was  puzzled  to  answer  this  unex 
pected  question.  After  a  moment's  silence 
he  replied,  "  Perhaps  his  uncle,  Mr.  Lawton, 
could  tell  you." 

"  I  should  not  like  to  ask  the  old  gent  the 
question,  as  I  suspect  his  hopeful  nephew  was 
sent  away  in  disgrace.  You  evaded  the 
question,"  persisted  Wooden. 

"I  did." 

"  Then  you  know  where  he  is." 

Lewis  answered  cautiously,  "I  have  not 
seen  him  for  several  weeks  past ;  the  last 
time  we  met  I  was  in  Mr.  Lawton's  counting- 
room." 

"  There  is  a  mystery  about  this  sudden  dis 
appearance  ;  and  I  am  sure  you  could  solve 
it  if  you  would,"  said  Nooden. 

Lewis  was  silent. 

"  You  are  very  close ;  I  suspect  your  lips 


TEMPTATION.  183 

have  been  sealed  with  gold.  ISTothing  but  a 
diamond  would  unseal  them.  Let  me  try 
the  experiment.  Here  is  a  small  diamond 
pin  which  I  wore  when  I  was  your  age ; 
come,  tell  me  where  Dick  Moland  is,  and 
wear  the  pin  for  my  sake,"  and  Nooden  took 
from  his  vest  pocket  a  sparkling  diamond  pin 
in  plain  setting,  and  offered  it  with  a  winning 
smile. 

"  I  never  received  a  bribe  in  my  life,  and 
never  will,"  replied  Lewis,  indignantly. 

"  Only  one — just  a  small  douceur.  A  nice 
snug  berth  as  Mr.  Lawton's  private  secre 
tary,"  remarked  E"ooden,  the  smile  which  had 
been  a  moment  before  on  his  lips  suddenly 
changing  to  a  sarcastic  grin. 

Though  smarting  under  the  unjust  accusa 
tion,  the  young  clerk  was  silent.  Nooden 
then  turned  back  towards  the  city,  and  Lewis 
hurried  homeward,  agitated  and  alarmed  by 
these  repeated  attacks  from  so  dangerous  a 
foe. 

Lewis  expected  to  be  summoned  as  a  wit 
ness  at  the  trial  of  Phineas  Shanby.  For 
some  reasons,  best  known  to  Mr.  Ferguson, 
Shanby  was  only  tried  for  highway  robbery. 
The  evidence  against  him  was  so  clear  that  he 


184:  GET   MONEY. 

was  pronounced  guilty,  and  sentenced  to  ten 
years'  imprisonment  in  the  State  Prison. 

Ten  years  out  of  the  life  of  a  young  man ! 
Ten  years  among  vile,  debased  wretches ! 
Ten  years — from  twenty  to  thirty — the  best 
part  of  a  man's  life  for  self  improvement,  and 
for  forming  social  and  domestic  ties !  Ten 
years  cut  off  from  usefulness,  sympathy,  and 
all  "  the  sweet  charities  of  life !" 

To  this  terrible  situation  had  the  miserable 
Shanby  been  reduced  by  his  inordinate  love 
of  money. 


„      CHAPTER  XXI. 

NEWS     FROM     A     WHALEE. 

THE  very  next  morning  after  Nooden's 
second  attack  on  Lewis,  Mr.  Lawton  handed 
him  the  following  letter  from  Richard  Mo- 
land : 

To  Mr.  Lewis  Lenning,  Boston,  Mass. 

Atlantic  Ocean, 

Mr  DEAR  FRIEND,  for  so  I  must  call  you,  though  we  were 
not  much  acquainted  before  I  left  home.  I  am  no  scholar,  as 
you  are,  and  it  is  not  an  easy  thing  for  me  to  write  a  letter ; 
and,  besides,  I  don't  know  when  it  will  be  sent,  because 
here  I  am  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean,  no  land  in  sight,  and 
no  vessel  either ;  but  our  captain  says  we  may  speak  a 
homeward  bound  vessel  and  send  this  letter  home.  Home  ! 
oh, 'what  a  beautiful  word  that  is  !  The  other  night  I  was 
on  deck ;  I  had  almost  got  over  the  dreadful  sea-sickness 
I  had  had  all  the  while  for  ten  days,  and  was  feeling  a  great 
deal  better ;  well,  as  I  was  saying,  I  lay  on  the  deck  look 
ing  up  at  the  bright  stars,  when  one  of  our  sailors  struck 
up  "Home,  sweet  home."  I  thought  my  heart  would 
16*  186 


186  GET   MONET. 

break ;  I  rolled  over  and  over  on  the  deck,  and  cried  like  a 
baby.  Yes,  I  did  ;  I  couldn't  help  it. 

But  now  I  must  tell  you  how  kind  our  captain  has  been 
to  me.  You  know  I  went  out  for  cabin-boy,  to  wait  on 
table,  wash  dishes,  and  other  dirty  work  ;  but  our  captain 
took  pity  on  me,  and  all  through  your  means. 

My  uncle's  letter,  when  he  sent  me  off,  was  a  short  one, 
just  telling  Captain  Tarbox  I  was  going  to  sea  with  him  as 
cabin-boy,  and  he  must  provide  me  with  a  good  outfit  and 
see  that  I  had  plenty  of  books,  and  that  the  ship's  library 
was  well  provided  for  a  long  voyage  with  bibles  and  other 
good  books.  Our  captain,  though  he  had  but  a  short  time 
for  it,  did  the  thing  up  genteelly.  So  there  was  I,  stripped 
of  the  fine  clothes  I  was  so  proud  of,  and  rigged  out  in 
sailor-fashion,  red  flannel  shirt,  tarpaulin  hat,  and  pants 
without  suspenders.  A  droll  figure  I  should  have  cut  in 
Washington  street.  I  had  no  need  of  money,  as  uncle 
Lawton  said,  for  I  was  sent  right  aboard  ship,  and  after 
wards  not  allowed  to  go  on  shore.  We  were  waiting  in  the 
harbor  for  something,  I  don't  know  what,  unless  it  was  be 
cause  it  was  Friday,  and  sailors  don't  sail  on  that  unlucky 
day  if  they  can  help  it.  So  I  sat  on  deck  and  thought  over 
all  I  had  done  to  you,  and  then  I  took  out  the  dollar  you 
gave  me,  and  wondered  how  you  could  be  so  kind.  I  don't 
know  what  made  me  feel  so,  but  my  heart  seemed  to  melt 
right  down.  While  I  was  thinking  it  all  over,  I  drilled  a 
hole  in  the  dollar,  and  putting  my  watch  chain  through  it, 
hung  it  around  my  neck,  and  then  put  away  my  watch  in 
my  chest.  Well,  the  very  first  time  I  waited  on  table,  the 
silver  dollar  slipped  into  sight  through  my  flannel  shirt- 
bosom.  Our  captain  saw  it,  and  laughing,  said,  "  What ! 
do  you  love  money  so  well  that  you  string  it  round  your 
neck  like  an  Indian  ?" 

That  hurt  me  cruelly.  Captain  saw  it  did,  for  I  couldn't 
keep  the  tears  out  of  my  eyes.  After  dinner,  when  there 


NEWS    FROM    A    WHALER.  187 

was  no  one  else  in  the  cabin,  he  asked  me  what  was  the 
matter,  and  I  up  and  told  him  the  whole  story  as  well  as 
my  blubbering  would  let  me  ;  and  when  I  came  to  that  part 
where  I  told  him  how  kind  you  were  to  me  after  all  the 
harm  I  had  done  you,  captain  cried  too,  and  said  that  you 
must  be  a  true  Christian,  for  no  person  could  forgive 
another  who  had  done  him  harm,  and  turn  about  and  do 
that  one  good,  before  the  other  had  even  been  sorry  for  the 
wrong,  unless  there  was  something  in  him  besides  human 
nature.  Of  course  I  had  to  tell  him  how  I  had  been 
brought  up,  and  never  had  been  used  to  hard  work,  and 
captain  took  pity  on  me  and  said  I  should  be  his  clerk,  and 
there  was  another  fellow  on  board  who  would  be  cabin-boy. 
And  when  I  thought  this  all  over,  I  determined  to  read  my 
Bible  and  be  a  Christian  too.  I  now  ask  your  forgiveness, 
and  I  am  more  sorry  for  the  harm  I  did  you  than  I  can 
tell.  But  I  know  you  forgave  me  even  before  I  asked  it, 
and  I  hope  One  above  will  forgive  me  too.  You  would  be 
shocked  to  hear  what  I  do  from  day  to  day,  horrid  oaths 
and  curses.  Oh,  Lenning,  it  may  be  three  years  before  I 
reach  home  !  What  an  awful  long  time  !  I  am  thankful 
that  I  hav.e  so  little  to  do  with  the  sailors.  The  captain 
keeps  me  in  the  cabin ;  I  read  to  him  when  it  is  calm  and 
quiet,  and  am  trying  to  improve  myself.  Seeing  I  was 
reading  the  Bible,  captain  said  I  might  read  it  to  him  some 
times.  We  had  heard  it  read  in  church,  but  neither  of  us 
knew  much  about  it.  We  like  the  New  Testament  best. 
Our  captain  is  a  rough  sailor,  but  he  has  a  great  big 
heart. 

Give  my  love  to  Uncle  Lawton,  and  tell  him  the  best 
thing  he  could  have  done  for  me  was  to  send  me  to  sea.  I 
had  such  a  silly  love  of  dress,  and  such  a  craving  for 
money,  that  I  don't  know  what  would  have  been  the  end 
of  me  if  I  had  gone  on — the  gallows  I  expect.  Tell  uncle 
how  sorry  I  am  that  I  wronged  you.  I  shall  wear  your 


188  GET   MONEY. 

dollar  all  the  time  I  am  at  sea,  and  shall  keep  it  always, 
like  the  sailor  I  read  about  the  other  day  in  a  piece  of 
poetry : 

*'  For  though  he  often  lacked  a  dinner,  plain  and  hearty, 
He  never  changed  the  coin  and  gift  of  Bonaparte." 

Yours  always, 

RICHARD  MOLAND. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

THE    DOUBLE    BIRTH-DAY. 

IT  was  now  the  latter  part  of  the  peerless 
month  of  June.  The  vicinity  of  Boston,  that 
Eden  of  the  North,  was  arrayed  in  all  the 
loveliness  which  early  summer  bestows  with  a 
lavish  hand,  to  atone  for  the  laggard  spring. 
Lottie  was  in  ecstasies  with  "  the  beautiful," 
and  would  have  written  poetry  from  "  morn 
till  dewy  eve,"  had  she  not  been  restrained 
by  her  watchful  and  judicious  mother.  Lot 
tie's  mind  and  heart,  however,  were  full  of 
"  unwritten  poetry  " — a  rich  fountain  of  joy 
to  the  happy  possessor. 

It  was  the  seventeenth  birth-day  of  Lewis, 
and  the  fifteenth  of  Lottie.  They  had  ever 
the  pleasure  of  a  mutual  celebration. 

To  increase  the  pleasure  of  the  little  family 
circle  on  this  occasion,  Mrs.  Lenning's  health 
was  greatly  improved.  Relief  from  pecuniary 

189 


190  GET   MONEY. 

trouble,  and  an  entire  change  of  air,  had 
effected  this  beneficial  change  in  the  good 
little  lady's  health. 

"  You  must  hasten  home  as  rapidly  as  pos 
sible  this  afternoon,  Lewis ;  you  know  we  are 
to  have  a  birth-day  celebration,"  said  Mrs. 
Lenning,  as  Lewis  was  about  to  leave  for  the 
city  in  the  morning. 

"  Shall  I  ask  Mr.  Lawton  to  let  me  leave 
an  hour  earlier  than  usual  ?" 

"  No,  no,  Lewis,  my  son  ;  I  never  wish  you 
to  neglect  duty  for  pleasure.  Here  is  a  trifle 
I  can  spare  for  such  an  occasion ;  buy  Miss 
Barrett's  Poems  for  Lottie ;  I  wish  her  to 
know  what  genuine  modern  poetry  is — she 
will  find  nothing  in  these  days  equal  to  the 
best  efforts  of  Shakspeare,  Milton,  and  my 
lesser  favorites,  Thomson  and  Cowper :  but  I 
consider  Miss  Barrett  the  first  of  lady-poets, 
and  Lottie  has  taste  and  sentiment  enough  to 
enjoy  her  poetry.  I  cannot  think  of  any  plea 
sure  I  could  give  you,  Lewis,  greater  than  to 
bring  your  sister  so  choice  a  present,  and  none 
that  she  would  more  highly  prize." 

"  Excepting,  of  course,  the  Maiden's  Grotto, 
which  I  have  fitted  up  for  her  in  the  garden, 
for  this  very  celebration !" 

"Ah,  Lewis!  that  reminds  me  of  Miss  Bar- 


THE   DOUBLE    BERTH-DAY.  1.91 

rett's  'Lost  Bower;'  long  may  it  be  before 
our  darling  Lottie  shall  say  with  Elizabeth, 

'  I  have  lost — oh  !  many  a  pleasure — 
Many  a  hope  and  many  a  power — 
Studious  health  and  merry  leisure — - 
The  first  dew  on  the  first  flower!'  " 

"I  join  you  most  heartily  in  this  birth-day 
wish,  dear  mother,"  responded  Lewis;  uone 
great  charm  of  our  Lottie  is,  her  perfect  sim 
plicity  ;  she  is  not  in  the  least  missish  ;  she  is 
as  earnest,  unconscious,  and  child-like  now,  as 
she  was  when  we  used  to  build  tents  in  the 
garden  with  bean-poles,  and  fit  them  up  with 
broken  crockery.  I  only  hope  we  may  enjoy 
the  Maiden's  Grotto  as  well  as  we  did  those 
same  rough  tents.  It  is  just  half-past  eight, 
mother;  good  morning." 

Lewis  had  discovered,  at  the  lower  part  of 
the  garden,  the  ruins  of  a  summer-house. 
With  much  labor,  and  the  aid  of  a  few  boards, 
he  had  set  it  up  anew.  "With  a  great  deal  of 
coaxing,  he  had  induced  a  vine  of  Maiden's 
Bower,  which,  from  long  familiarity  with  the 
ground,  had  almost  forgotten  its  climbing  pro 
pensities,  to  cover  the  rude  structure  with 
leaves  and  flowers. 

Polly  had  assisted  Lewis  in  this  labor  of 


192  GET   MONEY. 

love,  and,  for  her  own  amusement,  had  paved 
the  grotto  with  smooth  white  pebbles,  and 
then  had  placed  in  the  centre  a  circle  of  conch- 
shells,  which  displayed  their  delicate  pink 
shading  as  a  pretty  contrast. 

These  conch-shells  had  been  given  to  Polly 
by  a  sailor-lover  of  lang  syne,  and  had  been  car 
ried  about  for  many  a  year  in  an  old  hair  trunk. 
Nothing  short  of  the  celebration  of  the  "  chil 
dren's"  birth-day  would  have  drawn  forth 
these  precious  relics  (as  precious  as  the  dried 
rose-bud  in  the  gilded,  illustrated  album  of  a 
young  lady),  which  Polly  loaned  for  the  occa 
sion. 

As  Polly  arranged  them  in  the  grotto,  she 
soliloquized :  "  I  suppose  Thomas  has  been 
down  in  the  deep,  where  these  pretty  critters 
sleep,  for  many  and  many  a  year,  or  has  forgot 
his  sorrowful  dear." 

Mrs.  Lenning,  willing  to  minister  to  Lottie's 
love  of  the  beautiful,  had  twined  a  wreath  of 
evergreens  and  roses,  which  Polly  festooned 
about  the  entrance  of  the  grotto. 

Lottie,  meantime,  had  been  detained  in  the 
house,  that  she  might  have  the  pleasure  of  a 
surprise.  She,  too,  had  been  planning  a  sur 
prise  for  her  brother.  She  was  anxious  to 
prove  to  him  that  she  could  be  practical  as 


THE  DOUBLE  BIRTH-DAT.  193 

well  as  poetical.  Lewis  took  a  hasty  lunch 
every  day  in  town,  excepting  Sunday  ;  on  that 
day  no  dinner  was  cooked  at  the  Haunted 
House — so  that  Lewis  lunched  every  day. 

Lottie  had  sent  to  the  Rev.  John  Scofield 
four  pieces  of  poetry,  to  be  inserted  in  a  mag 
azine  to  which  he  was  a  contributor.  She 
modestly  submitted  them  to  the  reverend  gen 
tleman,  to  be  revised  and  corrected.  In  re 
turn,  he  sent  her  praise,  and  encouragement  in 
the  form  of  four  dollars. 

This  was  a  profound  secret  between  Mrs. 
Lenning  and  Lottie. 

A  dinner  was  to  be  given  to  Lewis ;  and 
intense  was  the  delight  of  Lottie  when  she 
saw  the  grotto,  for  here  would  they  dine — the 
practical  and  the  poetical  could  be  united. 

Provoked  and  perplexed  was  Lewis  Len 
ning,  when,  as  he  was  hurrying  home,  he  was 
joined  by  Josiah  James  Nooden.  Lewis 
walked  as  rapidly  as  possible.  It  was  of  no 
avail ;  Nooden's  legs  were  longer,  and  his 
determination  strong  not  to  be  outwalked, 
nor  to  be  outwitted. 

"  You  seem  to  avoid  me,  Lenning  ?"  said 
the  unwelcome  intruder.  "  Why  is  it ;  when 
I  am  so  desirous  to  cultivate  your  agreeable 
17 


194  GET   MONEY. 

acquaintance?  "Who  has  been  so  inhuman 
as  to  prejudice  you  against  me?" 

"  Excuse  me,  Mr.  Wooden.  I  am  in  great 
haste.  I  have  a  pressing  engagement  at  home, 
to-day." 

"You  do  not  answer  my  question.  Who 
has  prejudiced  you  against  me?"  somewhat 
fiercely  demanded  Nooden. 

"  I  do  not  allow  myself  to  be  prejudiced," 
was  the  brief  reply. 

"Then  who  has  attempted  it?"  still  more 
fiercely  asked  the  persecutor. 

"  Indeed,  sir,  you  are  very  suspicious.  Ex 
cuse  me,  I  am  in  a  tremendous  hurry ;"  and 
as  Lewis  said  this,  he  started  on  a  full  run. 

"This  is  fine  exercise,"  said  the  persistent 
Mr.  Nooden,  as  he  ran  side  by  side  with 
Lewis. 

When  they  reached  the  corner  where  Lottie 
usually  met  her  brother,  Lewis  stopped.  "In 
deed,  Mr.  Nooden,  I  must  bid  you  good  after 
noon." 

Not  in  the  least  daunted  or  discouraged, 
Nooden  replied,  "I  hear  you  live  in  a  haunted 
house,  and  I  have  a  curiosity  to  see  it.  I  will 
go  home  with  you." 

Lewis  hurried  on  without  another  word,  till 


THE   DOUBLE   BIKTH-DAY.  195 

they  came  to  the  gate,  then  he  stopped  out 
side,  saying,  "  this  is  my  home,  a  humble 
one,  as  you  perceive  ;  no  longer  haunted,  since 
the  money  for  which  it  was  haunted  has  been 
all  removed." 

"  Indeed !  How  was  that  ?  I  saw  some 
thing  about  it  in  the  papers  at  the  time,  but 
never  heard  the  particulars."  As  ISTooden 
said  this,  he  opened  'the  gate,  nodded  gra 
ciously  to  Lewis  to  enter,  and  then  followed 
him  to  the  door.  The  disconcerted  Lewis 
was  obliged  to  ask  the  obtrusive  guest  to  walk 
in  to  the  dining-room.  No  one  was  there. 
Lewis  hastened  to  his  mother's  room.  That 
was  deserted.  He  went  to  the  kitchen.  As 
soon  as  he  opened  the  door,  Polly,  who  was 
busy  with  the  dinner,  exclaimed,  "  Not  here — 
not  here.  Go  to  the  grotto." 

Polly  was  not  usually  so  brief. 

Lewis  ran  down  to  the  foot  of  the  garden, 
and  there,  sure  enough,  were  his  mother  and 
sister  seated  at  a  table,  already  spread  for 
dinner. 

-""Will  you  dine  with  me  to-day?"  said 
Lottie,  j  umping  up  to  meet  her  brother. 

u  How  provoking !"  exclaimed  Lewis,  an 
grily  ;  "  that  abominable  Nooden  followed  me 
home,  and  is  now  in  the  dining-room." 


196  GET   MONEY. 

"  You  look  heated  and  irritated.  "Who  has 
disturbed  your  usual  serenity  1"  inquired  Mrs. 
Lenning. 

"One  of  his  fellow-clerks,  against  whom 
Lewis  has  conceited  a  strange  prejudice — one 
of  the  handsomest  men  I  ever  saw,"  quickly 
replied  Lottie. 

"Then  we  must  invite  him  to  dinner,"  said 
Mrs.  Lenning. 

"  How  intolerably  provoking  ?"  muttered 
Lewis. 

"  Hush  !  hush  !"  exclaimed  Lottie,  for  at 
that  moment  she  saw  the  uninvited  guest 
coming  down  the  garden- walk  to  the  grotto. 

Lewis  turned  and  stood  dumb  with  astonish 
ment  at  the  fellow's  impertinent  intrusion. 
Nooden,  in  the  most  nonchalant  manner,  bowed 
to  the  ladies,  saying,  "  As  Lenning  seems  too 
much  embarrassed  to  introduce  me  to  his 
mother  and  sister,  I  must  name  myself — Mr. 
Nooden,  at  your  service,  ladies." 

His  assurance  was  not  "modest"  assurance; 
but  his  manner  was  civil,  and  Mrs.  Lenning 
politely  invited  him  to  take  a  seat  at  table. 

It  so  happened  that  Polly  had  arranged  the 
table  for  four  persons,  saying  she  liked  to  have 
things  "fair  and  square."  Perhaps  Polly 
remembered  the  absent  parent,  and  knew  it 


THE   DOUBLE   BIRTH-DAT.  197 

would  be  understood  as  a  delicate  compliment 
to  him.  At  all  events,  there  was  a  seat  for 
Mr.  Nooden,  and  he  took  it  with  great  com 
placency. 

"  Sit  down,  Lewis,  my  son ;  it  is  not  usual 
to  be  seated  at  table  before  dinner  is  served, 
but  we  are  dining  in  an  extraordinary  way 
to-day ;  it  is  my  children's  birthday,  sir," 
said  Mrs.  Lenning  addressing  Nooden  in  her 
own  pleasant,  polite  manner. 

Lewis  looked  as  though  he  could  bite  "a 
ten-penny  nail,"  or  anything  else  that  came 
in  his  way,  and  saying,  "  I  must  first  go  and 
cool  myself,"  hastily  left  the  grotto. 

As  soon  as  Lewis  was  out  of  hearing,  Woo 
den,  who  had  laid  aside  hat  and  gloves,  and 
seated  himself  at  table,  with  an  air  of  extreme 
complacency,  addressed  Lottie : 

"  Please  tell  me,  Miss  Lenning,  why  this  is 
called  the  Haunted  House." 

Lottie  briefly  told  the  story  of  the  miser, 
and  concluded  by  saying,  "It  has  been  haunted 
by  the  worst  kind  of  spirits — robbers." 
'    "  Robbers !     By  Jupiter  !  I  hope  you  have 
suffered  no  such  molestation." 

The  answer  which  Lottie  was  about  to  give 
was  interrupted  by  the  return  of  Lewis,  fol 
lowed  by  Polly,  who  placed  on  the  table  a 
17* 


198  GET   MONEY. 

fine  quarter  of  larnb,  arid  then  returned  for  a 
boiled  chicken,  and  then  for  green  peas  and 
other  vegetables.  A  good  cook  was  Polly, 
and  a  relishing  dinner  it  was,  in  spite  of  the 
bitter  sauce  of  an  unwelcome  guest.  The 
guest,  however,  did  his  part  valiantly  as  a 
trencherman,  besides  carving,  with  many  su 
perfluous  flourishes,  and  urging  the  ladies  to 
have  their  plates  replenished,  in  the  most 
officious  manner,  as  though  he,  Josiah  James 
ISTooden,  were  master  of  the  feast.  He  was 
chief  spokesman,  too ;  for  Lewis  was  silent, 
and,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  sullen.  Mrs. 
Lenning,  who  eminently  possessed  that  "  cha 
rity  which  thinketh  no  evil,"  was  a  polite, 
attentive  listener.  Lottie,  the  fervent  lover 
of  beauty,  could  not  help  admiring  the  hand 
some  Mr.  Wooden. 

There  was  a  narrow  wooden  seat  on  one  side 
of  the  summer-house.  On  it  was  now  lying 
the  very  hatchet  left  by  the  burglars  !  It  had 
been  used  by  Polly,  that  morning,  in  fasten 
ing  up  the  wreath  of  evergreens  and  roses. 
The  eyes  of  ISTooden  rested  on  the  hatchet  sev 
eral  times  during  dinner.  When  the  dessert 
of  delicious  strawberries  and  cream  had  been 
keenly  enjoyed  by  the  obtrusive  Nooden,  he 
started  up,  and  seizing  the  hatchet,  exclaimed, 


THE   DOUBLE   BIETH-DAY.  199 

"  By  Mars !  I  had  a  hatchet  precisely  like  this 
two  years  ago.  It  has  been  missing  all  that 
time." 

"  It  was  left  by  one  of  the  robbers,"  said 
Lottie. 

"By  one  of  the  robbers!"  exclaimed 
Nooden.  "  The  villain  stole  it  from  me.  I 
suppose,  Lenning,  you  have  noticed  the  ini 
tials,  burnt  in  upon  the  handle,  J.  J.  N." 

"  Never,"  replied  Lewis  (much  to  the  sur 
prise  of  Nooden) ;  "  the  hatchet  was  put  away 
with  the  saw  and  lantern,  the  morning  after 
the  house  was  entered,  and  I  have  never  seen 
it  since,  till  this  moment." 

Polly,  who  was  engaged  in  removing  the 
dishes  from  the  table,  broke  in  with  the  re 
mark,  "  I  brought  down  the  hatchet,  and  can 
bring  the  gentleman  the  saw  and  lantern,  if 
they,  too,  belong  to  him." 

"  Woman,  what  do  you  mean  ?"  demanded 
Nooden,  fiercely. 

"  Only,  if  the  rogues  used  your  hatchet,  1 
didn't  know  but  they  might  have  used  your 
other  weapons"  replied  Polly,  with  the  utmost 
coolness,  staring  at  the  stranger. 

"Your  servant  is  very  impertinent,"  said 
Nooden,  as  Polly  walked  away. 

"  She  does  not  intend  to  be  so,  I  am  sure," 


200  GET   MONEY. 

said  Mrs.  Lenning ;  u  she  is  out-spoken,  but 
always  intends  to  be  civil." 

"  I  will  reclaim  this  waif,  if  you  have  no 
objection.  If  I  can  discover  who  stole  it  from 
me,  it  will  be  a  clue  to  the  detection  of  the 
housebreakers."  So  saying,  Nooden  placed 
the  hatchet  inside  his  coat,  and  buttoned  the 
coat  tightly  over  it. 

"  I  remember,  now,  the  man  who  handed 
out  the  hatchet  was  named  Jem,  and  wore  a 
large  light  overcoat  and  a  slouched  hat,"  said 
Lewis,  who  had  been  recalling  the  scene  in 
the  kitchen  the  night  of  the  burglary. 

"  Didn't  you  see  his  face  ?"  asked  Wooden, 
looking  steadily  at  Lewis. 

"  I  did  not ;  it  was  quite  concealed  by  the 
hat,  and  a  handkerchief  tied  over  the  chin  and 
mouth,"  replied  Lewis,  coolly  returning  the 
steady  gaze  of  JSTooden. 

"  Mr.  Ferguson  offered  a  large  reward  for  the 
detection  of  the  burglars ;  not  one  of  them  has 
yet  been  discovered,"  continued  Nooden.  "  I 
have  my  suspicion,  and  may  be  lucky  enough 
to  obtain  the  thousand  dollars,  for  I  have  seen 
the  fellow  about  lately,  who,  I  think,  stole 
this  hatchet.  He  belongs  to  a  desperate  gang 
of  thieves  and  housebreakers." 

Lewis  still  kept  his  eye  steadily  fixed  on 


THE   DOUBLE   BIRTH-DAT.  201 

Kooden,  who  met  the  intense  gaze  without 
flinching,  and  thus  dispelled  a  suspicion  which 
had  arisen  in  the  mind  of  Lewis. 

Soon  after,  Wooden  took  leave,  saying,  "  I 
thank  you,  ladies,  for  this  charming  rural  en 
tertainment.  I  never  ruralized  more  delight 
fully  in  my  life.  In  return,  I  must  beg  the 
pleasure  of  being  your  cicerone  to  some  of  the 
lions  of  our  far-famed  city." 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  said  Mrs.  Lenning,  "  I 
never  go  to  the  city ;  but  Charlotte  and  her 
brother  may  accept  your  polite  invitation." 

Lewis  could  scarcely  restrain  a  growl  of  dis 
pleasure  at  Nooden's  unparalleled  assurance. 

"  One  rose,  as  a  souvenir  of  this  delightful 
day,"  said  Wooden,  taking  a  rose  from  a  bou 
quet  on  the  table. 

"  Oh !  take  the  whole,  if  you  please,"  said 
Lottie. 

Nooden  went  off  with  the  bouquet  in  his 
hand,  casting  a  triumphant  glance  at  the  an 
gry  Lewis. 

"Isn't  he  the  handsomest  man  you.  ever 
saw,  mother,"  eagerly  asked  Lottie. 

"  !N"o,  my  daughter ;  there  is  a  want  of  that 
spiritual  beauty  in  his  countenance,  which  I 
have  seen  in  some  otherwise  quite  plain  faces. 
This  young  man  has  handsome  features,  but, 


202  GET   MONEY. 

as  he  left  us,  I  fancied  I  saw  something  almost 
diabolical  in  his  expression.  It  made  me  shud 
der,  as  though  I  had  suddenly  seen  a  beautiful 
venomous  serpent." 

"  And  such,  I  have  no  doubt,  he  is,"  quickly 
replied  Lewis  ;  "  but  do  not  let  us  allow  that 
obtrusive  fellow  to  destroy  all  our  pleasure 
to-day.  How  kind  it  was  in  you,  mother,  to 
provide  this  entertainment." 

"  It  was  Lottie's  fete.  She  wished  to  show 
you  that  poetry  does  not  soar  so  far  above 
sublunary  things  as  you  suppose.  I  will  spare 
her  modesty,  and  leave  the  explanation  for 
another  time,"  playfully  replied  Mrs.  Lenning. 

"  Here,  sister,  mine,"  said  Lewis,  "  are  two 
volumes  of  Elizabeth  Barrett  Barrett's  poems, 
mother's  *  gift ;  and  here  is  a  volume  of  Fos 
ter's  Essays,  from  me." 

"  Oh !  you  would  foster  Decision  of  Charac 
ter  in  Lottie.  Excuse  the  wretched  pun," 
said  Mrs.  Lenning ;  "  your  sister  would  in 
crease  your  poetical  taste  and  good  sense  at 
the  same  time,  and  gives  you  this  copy  of 
Shakspeare's  plays,  in  one  volume. .  And  here 
is  Polly's  gift — a  purse  for  you,  Lewis,  which 
she  has  knitted ;  it  looks  more  like  a  cabbage- 
net  than  a  purse,  it  is  so  immensely  large  ;  yet 
it  shows  her  bountiful  kindness." 


THE   DOUBLE    BIKTH-DAY.  203 

"It  is  prophetic,  I  trust,  that  I  shall  get 
money  enough  to  fill  it,"  remarked  Lewis,  as 
he  put  his  whole  hand  into  the  capacious 
green  silk  purse. 

The  sun  was  now  sinking  below  the  horizon, 
and  after  singing  together  the  Evening  Hymn, 
the  family  adjourned  to  the  house,  and  passed 
a  pleasant  evening  in  reading  Miss  Barrett's 
poems 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

HANDWRITING. 

ONE  morning,  soon  after  the  birth-day, 
Lewis  was  alone  in  the  counting-room,  Mr. 
Lawton  having  gone  on  an  excursion  to  Na- 
hant. 

Busily  occupied  in  copying  letters  which 
had  been  left  as  his  task  for  the  day,  Lewis 
was  not  a  little  provoked  to  be  interrupted  by 
his  tormentor,  Josiah  James  Nooden. 

"  How  dy'e  do,  Lenning  ?  haven't  seen  you 
to  say  a  word  since  our  charming  rural  fete. 
How  is  that  pretty  sister  of  yours  ?" 

"  I  am  particularly  engaged,"  said  Lewis. 

"  Yes ;  I  see  you  are  copying  some  of  the 
old  gent's  prosy  letters ;  dull  work  it  must 
be." 

Lewis  was  standing  by  a  high  desk  which 
had  been  placed  there  expressly  for  his 
use.  Kooden  looked  over  his  shoulder  and 


HANDWRITING.  205 

exclaimed,  "  By  Jupiter !  you  write  a  capital 
band,  so  much  like  the  old  gent's,  that  he 
w^ould  not  himself  know  the  difference." 

This  was  a  weak  point  with  Lewis.  He 
\va.s  proud  of  his  clear,  handsome  writing. 
While  copying  the  letters  of  Mr.  Lawton  in  a 
letter-book,  he  had  unconsciously  imitated  the 
writing,  and  was  pleased  with  the  resem 
blance. 

"  ~No  wonder  Mr.  Lawton  keeps  you  busy 
in  this  way ;  there's  not  a  clerk  in  the  house 
who  writes  as  well  as  you  do.  Just  let  me  see 
your  signature?  Here  is  a  bit  of  paper,"  said 
Kooden,  "just  write  your  own  name." 

Lewis  wrote  his  name  with  apparent  plea 
sure. 

"  I  shall  keep  your  autograph,"  said  Woo 
den,  tearing  off  a  slip  of  the  paper.  "Now 
write  Moses  Lawton — I  wish  to  see  how  very 
much  your  writing  resembles  his." 

Lewis  swallowed  the  sweet  bait  of  flattery, 
and  wrrote  the  name  of  the  merchant,  as  re 
quested,  adding  his  own  peculiar  flourish  be 
neath  it. 

Nooden  said,  "It  does  not  resemble  Mr. 
Lawton's  signature  as  much  as  I  thought  it 
did,"  and  crumpled  up  the  paper  in  his  hand. 

He  then  wrote  his  own  name  in  a  cramped, 
18 


206  GET   MONET. 

almost  illegible  hand,  and  said,  "  there  is  my 
autograph,  take  it,  in  exchange  for  your  own. 
I  would  give  a  thousand  dollars  to  write  as 
well  as  you  do.  How  long  will  the  old  gent 
be  out  of  town  ?" 

"  He  is  expected  home  next  week,"  replied 
Lewis. 

"I  shall  be  off  to-morrow.  I  have  leave 
of  absence  for  a  month.  Good-bye,  Lenning. 
Make  my  compliments  to  your  mother  and 
sister.  I  am  sorry  I  cannot  call  on  them  be 
fore  ,1  leave  town." 

*         #         *         *         *         #         # 

Anna  Ferguson  became  a  frequent  visitor 
at  the  Haunted  House — for  so  we  must  still 
call  it ;  a  difficult  matter  it  is  to  get  rid  of 
a  bad  name.  The  influence  exerted  on  the 
young  girl,  who  was  a  year  younger  than 
Lottie,  was  so  perceptible,  that  Mr.  Ferguson 
begged  Mrs.  Lenning  to  give  Anna  instruction 
with  her  daughter,  offering  the  same  sum,  one 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  year,  which  he 
had  been  giving  in  Boston.  Mrs.  Lenning 
gladly  consented,  for  this  arrangement  not 
only  added  materially  to  their  limited  income, 
but  also  afforded  Lottie  a  pleasant  companion 
in  some  of  her  studies. 

This  was  one  of  the  wisest  things  Mr.  Fer- 


HANDWRITING.  207 

guson  ever  did  in  his  life.  His  motives  for  it 
were  hidden  in  the  depths  of  his  own  world- 
worn  heart ;  whatever  they  were,  Anna  richly 
reaped  the  benefit.  She  saw  less  of  her  bro 
ther,  with  whom  she  had  previously  walked 
daily  to  and  from  town,  and  became  more 
and  more  removed  from  his  influence  as  she 
imbibed  right  principles  from  Mrs.  Lenning, 
and  became  devotedly  attached  to  Lottie. 

July  and  August  passed  away,  September 
came  and  Nooden  had  not  returned.  Many 
inquiries  were  made  for  the  absent  clerk,  by 
tailors,  boot-makers,  shop-keepers,  etc.,  who 
presented  their  bills  in  vain  to  Mr.  Lawton, 
who  had  paid  ISTooden  in  full,  at  the  end  of 
the  last  quarter. 

When  all  expectation  of  his  return  was 
given  up,  Mr.  Lawton  remarked,  "I  am  glad 
I  have  been  saved  the  trouble  of  dismiss 
ing  the  fellow.  Lenning,  I  think  you  might 
take  his  place ;  your  salary  for  the  next  quar 
ter,  beginning  in  November,  would  then  be 
larger." 

"  Thank  you,  sir ;  if  you  think  I  am  capable 
of  filling  the  place,  I  should  be  glad  to  do  so ; 
and  yet,  sir,  I  should  be  sorry  to  leave  my 
desk  in  your  office." 

"  You  will  learn  more  of  business  than  to 


208  GET   MONEY. 

be  employed  as  you  now  are.  By  tlie  way, 
there  is  some  mistake  in  my  bank  account. 
Here  are  some  checks,  run  them  over  and 
see  what  they  amount  to,  while  I  examine 
the  margin  of  my  check-book,  where  the 
amount  of  every  check  I  have  given  is  set 
down." 

"The  checks  amount  to  fifteen  thousand 
three  hundred  and  forty-five  dollars  and  fifty 
cents,"  said  Lewis. 

"And  I  have  only  given  checks  for  fifteen 
thousand  and  forty-five  dollars,  fifty  cents, 
as  the  margin  shows." 

"  Have  you  given  none  but  printed  checks, 
sir?" 

"  Not  one." 

"  Then,  here  is  the  mistake ;  a  written 
check  for  three  hundred  dollars,"  said  Lewis. 

"I  never  gave  that  check.  It  is  not  my 
signature.  It  is  a  forgery." 

Lewis  trembled  from  head  to  foot,  and  grew 
pale  as  death. 

Mr.  Lawton  looked  sternly  at  him,  and 
said, "  Lewis  Lenning,  that  is  your  own  flourish 
beneath  the  signature." 

"It  is,"  replied  Lewis,  almost  suffocated 
with  the  violence  of  his  emotions. 

"  Have  I  been  deceived  in  you  ?    It  can- 


HANDWRITING.  209 

not  be !  Tell  me  how  this  happened,"  sternly 
demanded  Mr.  Lawton. 

"Through  my  own  vanity  and  folly." 
Lewis  then  related  to  Mr.  Lawton  his  inter 
view  with  Nooden,  and  how  he  had,  at  Noo- 
den's  request,  written  the  name  of  Moses 
Lawton  and  added  his  own  peculiar  flourish. 

The  note  was  dated  three  days  in  advance 
of  the  time  when  Lewis  remembered  to  have 
written  the  name,  the  very  day  Mr.  Lawton 
left  for  Nahant. 

u  I  will  go  immediately  to  the  bank  and  in 
quire  who  presented  the  check,"  said  Mr. 
Lawton. 

Mr.  Lawton  soon  returned. 

"  It  is  well  for  you,  Lenning,  that  your 
character  sustains  you  under  these  trying  cir 
cumstances.  Nooden  presented  the  check ; 
the  teller  examined  it  suspiciously,  as  I  am 
accustomed  always  to  send  printed  checks ; 
but  Nooden  told  him  I  was  going  out  of  town 
in  haste,  and  had  stepped  into  a  restaurant 
and  written  the  check,  just  as  I  was  about 
leaving  for  Nahant.  JSTooden  added,  he  was 
himself  going  out  of  town  immediately,  and 
needed  the  money.  Knowing  him  to  be 
one  of  my  clerks,  the  story  being  plausible 
and  the  sum  not  large,  it  was  paid  to  him, 
18* 


210  GET   MONET. 

and  the  villain  left  the  same  day.  The  teller 
remembered  the  circumstances  perfectly." 

"  Can  you  ever  trust  me  after  this  ?"  said 
Lewis,  while  the  expression  of  intense  agony 
on  his  countenance  was  enough  to  touch  a 
harder  heart  than  that  of  Mr.  Lawton. 

"  I  can  trust  you,  Lenning ;  but  let  it  be  a 
warning  to  you  henceforth  not  to  tamper 
with  other  persons'  names.  Never  leave  your 
own  name  scribbled  on  blank  paper ;  it  may 
be  used  for  a  bad  purpose.  I  am  sure,  if  you 
had  intended  to  counterfeit  my  signature,  you 
would  never  have  placed  your  own  peculiar 
flourish  under  it." 

"  But,  sir,  you  have  lost  three  hundred 
dollars  through  my  means.  I  will  work  for 
you  till  it  is  paid,  if  my  life  is  spared.  Take 
a  portion  of  my  salary  from  year  to  year,  till 
it  is  all  paid." 

"No,-  Lenning;  I  have  lost  it  only  indi 
rectly  through  your  means,  and  cannot  ac 
cept  your  honest  offer.  The  villain  has  es 
caped.  I  ought  not  to  have  retained  him  in 
my  counting-room  after  I  had  lost  confidence 
in  him." 

Mr.  Lawton  now  went  to  Nooden's  desk 
with  Lewis ;  it  was  locked,  and  the  keys 
of  the  other  desks  in  the  counting-room 


HANDWRITING.  211 

would  not  fit  the  lock.  Mr.  Lawton  ordered 
it  to  be  broken  open.  There  was  the  hatchet 
with  the  initials  J.  J.  !N". ;  there  was  the  veri 
table  slouched  hat  and  the  large  Madras 
handkerchief.  Among  the  papers  left,  which 
consisted  mostly  of  unpaid  bills,  were  several 
slips  of  paper  on  which  were  written  precisely 
the  same  words,  letter  for  letter  and  figure  for 
figure,  as  were  on  the  forged  check.  Evi 
dently  Nooden  had  been  practising  on  these 
before  he  succeeded  to  his  satisfaction  in  mak 
ing  out  the  check. 

"  I  have  something  of  importance  to  say  to 
you,"  said  Lewis,  in  a  whisper  to  Mr.  Law- 
ton. 

When  they  were  together  in  the  inner 
counting-room,  Lewis  begged  Mr.  Lawton,  as 
a  special  favor,  to  go  home  with  him  to  Kox- 
bury  and  take  the  contents  of  Nooden's  desk 
with  him. 

Mr.  Lawton's  carriage  was  at  the  door,  and 
without  further  questioning  he  consented  to 
the  singular  request.  Mr.  Lawton  had  never 
seen  Mrs.  Lenning  and  her  daughter,  and 
could  not  conjecture  the  object  of  his  expe 
dition. 

"When  they  arrived  at  the  Haunted  House, 
Lewis  knocked  at  the  door,  and  then  showed 


212  GET   MONEY. 

Mr.  Lawton  to  the  dining-room.  Mrs.  Len- 
niog  was  engaged  in  her  own  room  with 
Lottie  and  Anna  Ferguson. 

Polly  appeared  from  the  kitchen.  Lewis, 
in  the  presence  of  Mr.  Lawton,  said,  "  Polly, 
please  bring  in  the  things  you  will  find  on 
the  front  seat  of  that  carriage." 

Polly  did  as  she  was  requested  ;  and  as  she 
laid  them  on  the  table,  exclaimed,  "  I  declare 
if  here  isn't  the  burglar's  hatchet  come  back 
again.  I  knew  that  mighty  pretty  man  wasn't 
what  he  ought  to  be.  And  the  very  old  hat 
and  bright  handkerchief  he  wore  that  night ! 
I  saw  them  as  plain  as  I  do  this  very  minute, 
when  I  held  up  the  light  at  the  window.  I 
thought  I  knew  his  sneaking  black  eyes  the 
other  day,  though  they  didn't  look  as  wild  as 
they  did  that  night." 

"  How,  and  when  was  that  ?"  asked  Mr. 
Lawton. 

Polly  told  the  story  in  her  own  amusing 
way,  but  very  clearly  and  satisfactorily  ;  and 
ended  by  saying,  "  Hearts  may  be  stout,  and 
villains  may  flout,  but  murder  will  out." 

Not  a  doubt  was  left  on  Mr.  Lawton's  mind 
that  the  owner  of  the  hatchet  and  the  bur 
glar  called  Jem  were  one  and  the  same  person, 
namely  Josiah  James  Nooden. 


HANDWRITING.  213 

"  To  his  other  crimes,"  said  Mr.  Lawton, 
"he  has  now,  in  effect,  added  that  of  forgery. 
I  have  no  doubt,  my  poor  boy,  the  villain  in 
tended  to  fix  this  crime  upon  you.  God  be 
thanked,  you  have  escaped  his  vile  machina 
tions.  You  see  what  it  is  to  have  a  character 
above  suspicion.  It  was  a  bright  thought  of 
yours  to  bring  me  here  to  gain  the  unsolicited 
testimony  of  your  queer  domestic.  It  will 
be  prudent  not  to  mention  the  forged  check 
at  present,  to  any  one.  We  will  wait  till  we 
hear  something  of  the  absconding  Kooden's 
whereabouts,  and  then  have  him  apprehended 
for  burglary.  I  will  take  back  with  me  the 
burglar's  regimentals,  and  keep  them  till  they 
are  needed  on  his  trial." 

Mr.  Lawton  now  requested  an  introduction 
to  Mrs.  Lenning  and  Charlotte.  The  inter 
view  was  mutually  pleasing. 

Mr.  Lawton  spoke  in  terms  of  warm  com 
mendation  of  the  conduct  of  Lewis,  and 
highly  approved  of  his  residing  out  of  the 
city. 

On  their  return  to  the  counting-room,  va 
rious  were  the  surmises  of  the  clerks  when 
they  saw  Lewis  taking  possession  of  Nooden's 
desk ;  but  no  one  ventured  to  ask  any  ques 
tions  about  it. 


214:  GET   MONEY. 

Nooden  was  not  to  receive  the  punishment 
of  his  crimes  which  the  law  of  the  land  would 
have  awarded ;  he  was  suddenly  summoned 
to  a  higher  tribunal. 

A  paragraph  in  a  Southern  newspaper  stated 
that  a  young  man  from  the  North,  who  called 
himself  AUGUSTUS  LENNING,  but  whose  real 
name,  from  papers  found  about  his  person, 
was  Josiah  James  Nooden,  was  stabbed  in  an 
affray  at  a  coffee-house  in  New  Orleans,  and 
died  instantly. 


CHAPTER  XXIY. 

A     HASTY      EJECTMENT. 

WHEN  will  you  be  ready  for  college  ?"  asked 
Mr.  Ferguson  of  his  hopeful  son,  as  they 
were  one  day  walking  into  town  together. 

"  College  !  I  don't  intend  to  go  to  college," 
was  the  unexpected  reply. 

"  Not  intend  to  go  to  college  !  what  do  you 
mean  to  do  for  a  living  ?"  asked  Mr.  Ferguson. 

"  For  a  living !  Now,  father,  you  are  jok 
ing.  I  can  afford  to  be  a  gentleman." 

"  I  expect  you  to  be  a  gentleman,  of  course; 
and  that  is  one  reason  why  you  must  go  to 
college.  After  you  are  graduated,  I  intend 
to  have  you  study  law,"  said  Mr.  Ferguson, 
assuming  an  authoritative  manner. 

"  Study,  I  hate  study.  As  for  being  pre 
pared  for  college,  I  am  not  now,  and  never 
shall  be,"  replied  the  younger  Ferguson. 

"  Yes,  you  shall.     I  shall  see  Mr.  Marshall, 

215 


216  GET   MONEY. 

and  tell  him  he  must  prepare  to  enter  you 
next  year,"  continued  the  father,  in  a  very 
decided  tone. 

"  How  ridiculous  it  would  be  to  enter 
Freshman  ;  I  should  be  an  old  fogy  in  col 
lege  before  I  got  my  sheep-skin." 

"  You've  got  sheep-skin  already,  over  your 
sheep's  brains,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Ferguson, 
angrily. 

"  I  suppose  I  inherited  them,"  was  the 
saucy  reply. 

"  None  of  your  impudence  to  me  ;  do  you 
know  who  you  are  talking  to  ?" 

"  Yes,  the  governor." 

"  Saucebox !  If  I  wiere  not  in  the  street  I 
would  lay  my  ratan  over  your  shoulders. 
You  wouldn't  dare  to  talk  to  me  in  this  man 
ner  if  we  were  within  doors." 

Morris  drew  up  his  slender  figure  to  its  full 
height — five  feet  eleven— and  cast  a  look  of 
sovereign  contempt  at  his  father,  which 
plainly  implied,  "Talk  to  me  of  a  ratan! 
You  wouldn't  dare  to  touch  me  with  it." 

"  Come  now,  Morris,  be  rational,"  con 
tinued  the  father,  soothingly ;  "  you  really 
ought  to  go  to  college.  It  would  be  disgrace 
ful  for  a  rich  man,  as  you  will  be,  not  to  have 
been  through  college." 


A   HASTY   EJECTMENT.  217 

"  Disgrace  or  no  disgrace,  I  shall  not  go  to 
college,"  muttered  this  specimen  of  the  species 
"Young  America." 

Mr.  Ferguson  either  did  not  hear  this  last 
remark,  or  else  he  chose  to  ignore  it ;  for  he 
continued,  "  I  am  going  to  Mr.  Marshall  to 
tell  him  you  must  be  prepared  to  enter  Har 
vard  as  soon  as  possible." 

"  Mr.  Marshall  will  be  in  school  by  this 
time,"  said  Morrison. 

"  Never  mind  that ;  I  will  see  him  at  any 
rate." 

They  were  now  near  Mr.  Marshall's  school. 
Morrison  started  off  on  a  full  run,  and  passed 
by  the  door,  his  father  calling  after  him  in 
vain. 

It  wanted  a  few  minutes  of  the  hour  for 
commencing  school.  Mr.  Ferguson  demanded 
an  interview  with  the  master. 

Mr.  Ferguson  inquired  when  his  son  would 
be  fit  to  enter  college. 

"  I  know  nothing  of  Morrison  Ferguson  at  pre 
sent,  not  having  seen  him  for  six  weeks  past." 

-"  "Not  seen  him  !  He  has  been  in  town 
regularly  to  school,"  replied  the  amazed 
father. 

"  Not  to  school.  He  took  away  all  his 
books,  saying  you  were  dissatisfied  and  he 
19 


218  GET   MONEY. 

should  not  finish  the  term.  I  only  waited  for 
the  end  of  the  term  to  send  in  my  bill,"  said 
Mr.  Marshall,  coolly. 

"  Why  did  you  not  inform  me  of  this,  Mr. 
Marshall  ?  it  was  your  duty,  sir." 

Mr.  Marshall  replied  gravely,  "I  sent  his 
school  reports  to  you  every  week,  and  besides 
have  written  several  notes  to  inform  you  of  his 
misconduct,  which  you  never  answered.  It  was 
only  to-day  that  one  of  my  scholars  bought  a 
Latin  Dictionary,  with  Morrison's  name  in  it, 
at  a  second-hand  book-store.  I  supposed  he 
had  given  up  his  studies." 

Mr.  Ferguson  was  about  to  say,  he  had 
never  received  the  notes,  but  checking  him 
self,  bade  Mr.  Marshall  a  hasty  good  morning. 

Having  important  business  matters  claiming 
immediate  attention,  the  broker  hastened  to 
his  office,  and  was  soon  immersed  in  the 
money-making  pursuit,  to  which  he  was  de 
voted  body  and  soul,  entirely  forgetful,  for 
many  hours,  of  his  son's  delinquency. 

On  his  way  home,  after  the  business  of  the 
day  was  over,  Mr.  Ferguson  pondered  over 
his  son's  misconduct,  and  determined  to  ques 
tion  Morrison  closely  with  regard  to  the  dis 
posal  he  had  made  of  his  time  and  his  ill-gotten 
money.  Morris  had  returned  home  before 


A   HASTY   EJECTMENT.  219 

his  father.  When  Mr.  Ferguson  entered  the 
parlor,  the  unabashed  boy  was  amusing  him 
self  with  feeding  a  tame  squirrel,  whose  tin- 
house,  with  its  tread-mill,  he  had  brought  into 
that  handsome  apartment,  and  the  nuts  with 
which  he  was  regaling  his  pet,  were  scattered 
over  the  rich  carpet. 

Mr.  Ferguson's  anger  was  aroused  by  the 
self-complacent  air  of  the  truant,  and  his  friv 
olous  amusement. 

"You  contemptible  loafer,"  he  exclaimed, 
"  is  this  what  you  have  been  purchasing  from 
the  sale  of  your  school-books  ?"  and  giving  the 
tin  house  a  violent  kick,  he  sent  it  across  the 
room.  "Tell  me  what  else  you  have  been 
doing  with  your  time  and  money?"  he  con 
tinued,  in  a  voice  hoarse  with  violent  passion. 

Morrison  was  sulky  and  made  no  answer. 

"  Go  back  to  school,  and  ask  Mr.  Marshall's 
pardon,  and  if  he  will  receive  you,  go  on 
with  your  studies." 

Still  no  answer. 

"  Tell  me,  will  you  go  back  to  school  ?" 
aga'in  demanded  the  father. 

"  No,"  growled  out  Morris. 

Mr.  Ferguson,  in  a  rage,  seized  Morris  by 
the  arm,  and  the  ratan  with  which  he  had 
threatened  the  boy  in  the  morning,  being  in 


220  GET   MONET. 

his  other  hand,  he  gave  the  culprit  a  severe 
flogging,  which  was  returned  by  Morrison 
with  repeated  blows  on  his  father's  face  and 
breast. 

"  Xow,  you  may  go,  and  take  care  of  your 
self.  I  have  done  with  you — go,  and  begin 
life  as  I  did,  without  a  dollar." 

Saying  this,  Mr.  Ferguson  led  his  son  by 
force  to  the  front  door,  shoved  him  out,  and 
closed  it  upon  him. 

The  boy  had  no  mother  to  plead  for  him. 


CHAPTER  XXY. 

A     PLEASANT     VACATION. 

MOKE  than  a  year  had  passed  since  the  Len- 
ning  family  had  lived  at  the  Haunted  House. 

It  was  now  the  beginning  of  July,  and  the 
Rev.  John  Scofield  had  invited  them  to  come 
and  pass  that  month  in  his  house,  at  Water- 
ville. 

Lewis  had  been  so  constantly  and  so  dili 
gently  occupied,  that  Mr.  Lawton  cheerfully 
gave  him  a  month's  vacation.  Not  that  work 
was  toilsome  drudgery  to  Lewis  Lenning.  Far 
from  it ;  he  found  pleasure  in  his  work.  Every 
day,  during  spring,  summer,  and  autumn,  he 
had  something  to  do  in  his  garden  ;  and  amply 
did' that  garden  repay  him  for  the  labor.  It 
contributed  largely  to  the  supply  of  the  table  ; 
its  neatness  and  freshness  of  verdure  gave  a 
cheerful  air  to  the  house,  but  more  than  all, 

the   exercise   of  gardening   was   exceedingly 
19*  221 


222  GET   MONEY. 

beneficial  to  Lewis.  He  was  now  tall,  well 
formed,  and  vigorous  in  body  and  mind. 

In  the  counting-room,  or  with  Mr.  Lawton, 
each  day  furnished  some  new  subject  of  in 
terest.  The  zeal  and  enthusiasm  with  which 
the  clerk  entered  into  the  business  of  his  em 
ployer  afforded  mutual  satisfaction.  It  was 
in  the  nature  of  Lewis  to  do  everything  heart 
ily.  Well  was  it  for  him  that  in  the  position 
in  which  Providence  had  placed  him,  he 
could  do  all  required  of  him,  without  stretch 
ing  an  enlightened  conscience. 

Lewis  had  not,  during  the  year,  neglected 
his  studies.  He  had  acquired  a  good  know 
ledge  of  French  and  Spanish,  and  had  read 
much,  and  profitably.  The  responsibility  de 
volving  on  him  as,  in  one  sense,  the  head  of 
the  family,  had  matured  his  character,  and 
given  him  that  true  manliness  which  is  seldom 
found  in  a  boy  of  eighteen.  Lewis  was  not 
the  fast  boy — not  the  precocious  boy,  but 
the  modest,  unassuming,  manly  boy,  who  felt 
himself  to  be  the  protector  of  his  mother  and 
sister. 

It  was  a  great  pleasure  to  the  whole  family, 
Polly  Potts  included,  to  pay  the  visit  at  Wa- 
terville.  They  there  met  with  a  most  cordial 
welcome.  Idelette  Scofield  was  as  bright  and 


A  PLEASANT   VACATION,  223 

as  lively  as  ever.  Mr.  Ernest  Scofield  had 
emerged  from  the  chrysalis  state  of  a  Sopho 
more,  and  was  about  to  expand  the  soaring 
wings  of  a  Senior.  He  had  become  more 
learned,  and,  of  course,  less  pedantic — more 
wise,  and,  of  course,  more  modest. 

During  the  visit,  however,  Mrs.  Lenning 
met  with  an  irreparable  loss. 

Polly,  who  was  passing  her  time  in  the 
country  with  one  of  her  ancient  cronies,  came 
one  day  to  Mrs.  Lenning  with  a  half-rueful, 
half-comical  countenance,  and  stood  silent 
before  her  mistress,  untying  and  tying  her 
bonnet-strings,  and  pulling  off  and  on  her 
white  cotton  gloves  with  sudden  jerks. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Polly  ?"  inquired 
Mrs.  Lenning. 

"  Why,  Miss  Lenning,  I  am  going  to  do  a 
very  foolish  thing,"  said  Polly,  with  a  half- 
suppressed  giggle. 

"  It  is  strange  that  you  should  do  it,  know 
ing  it  to  be  foolish.  What  is  it?"  asked  Mrs. 
Lenning,  in  an  encouraging  tone. 

'"I  am  going  to  leave  you — not  going  back 
with  you,"  answered  Polly,  with  another  giggle. 

"  That  is  very  foolish.  I  am  sorry  to  hear 
it.  What  can  we  do  without  you  ?"  asked  the 
mistress. 


224  GET   MONET. 

"  I  don't  know ;  it  worries  me  dreffutty  to 
think  of  it.  I'm  in  a  flurry  and  a  worry  all 
the  time ;  but  Tom  says  it  must  be,  and  so 
you  see  I  must  yield  to  the  powers  that  be." 

"  Is  Tom  your  brother  ?" 

"  Oh,  no  !"  exclaimed  Polly,  spreading  her 
ample  hands  over  her  red  face,  and  giggling 
behind  them.  "  Oh,  no !  Tom  is  my  old  sailor 
ly*?/',  come  back  from  furren  parts,  as  true 
as  steel ;  and  he  says  I  promised  once  to 
marry  him,  and  he  holds  me  to  my  promise. 
You  see,  inarm, '  the  patient  waiter  is  no  loser.' 
I've  waited  twenty  years  for  Tom,  and  in  all 
that  time,  even  when  I  thought  him  down  in 
the  deep,  in  his  last  sleep,  among  the  conch- 
shells,  I  never  stopped  caring  for  him,  above 
all  others." 

"  "When  are  you  to  be  married,  Polly  ?" 

"  Day  after  to-morrow,  marm.  That  is,  if — 
if" 

"So  soon!  Well,  Polly,"  kindly  replied 
Mrs.  Lenning,  "  you  have  been  a  faithful  friend 
to  me  and  mine.  I  grieve  to  part  with  you ; 
and  yet,  if  it  is  for  your  happiness,  I  must  sub 
mit  to  the  loss  of  your  valuable  services." 

"  That's  the  only  drop  of  wormwood  in  the 
full  tumbler  of  my  joy,"  said  Polly,  wiping 
her  moistened  eyes  with  the  white  gloves. 


A   PLEASANT   VACATION.  225 

"  Don't  allow  that  to  embitter  your  cup  of 
happiness,  my  good  Polly.  Is  there  anything 
I  can  do  for  you  ?" 

"  Yes,  marm.  Tom  is  rather  bashful,  and 
seeing  he  was  never  married  before,  don't  like 
to  ask  the  minister.  If  you  would  just  ask 
Mr.  Scofield  to  do  the  job  for  us,  here's  the 
money — a  five  dollar  piece — to  pay  for  it.  Tom 
said  it  was  too  little  to  pay  for  a  wife,  when 
she  was  worth  more  than  all  the  world  to 
him  ;  but  he  has  met  with  misfortunes  in  his 
day,  and  is  not  as  well  to  do  as  might  be," 
said  Polly,  taking  the  money  out  of  one  of  her 
white  gloves. 

"It  is  a  very  handsome  marriage  fee.  It 
will  be  time  to  give  the  minister  the  money 
after  the  marriage.  Where  is  it  to  take 
place  ?" 

"  In  the  church,  if  Mr.  Scofield  is  willing ; 
but  I  don't  want  the  young  people  to  go,  for 
though  it's  a  very  serious  matter  to  us,  I'm 
afraid  they'd  see  it  in  a  funny  kind  of  a  light, 
I  being  well  on  towards  forty-five,  and  Tom 
being  rather  weather-beaten.  You  know,  Miss 
Idy  does  like  to  laugh  and  skit  at  folks,  and 
I'm  afraid  it  would  hurt  Tom's  tender  feel- 
ings." 

"  They  shall  not  trouble  you,  Polly.    I  hope 


226  GET   MONEY. 

you  have  no  objections  to  my  being  present 
on  the  occasion,"  suggested  Mrs.  Lenning. 

"Thank  you,  Miss  Lenning;  it's  just  the 
brightest,  politest  thing  you  could  do.  I  didn't 
dare  to  ask  such  a  great  honor.  I  must  go  now." 

"  Take  this  five-dollar  piece  to  buy  you  a 
wedding-bonnet,"  said  Mrs.  Lenning,  endea 
voring  to  place  the  money  in  Polly's  hand,  as 
she  cordially  grasped  it. 

"Not  a  red  cent  of  it!"  said  Polly,  let 
ting  the  gold  piece  drop  upon  the  floor.  "  I 
know  you  can't  afford  it,  now  I  shan't  be 
there.  Likely  as  not  you'll  get  somebody  in 
your  kitchen  who  will  make  you  feel  that  a 
*  lavish  waste  makes  a  woeful  want.'  Good 
bye,  and  say  good-bye  for  me  to  Mr.  Lewis 
and  Miss  Lottie.  They  will  have  the  blessing 
from  above,  that  always  falls  on  dutiful  chil 
dren  like  dew  on  the  posies." 

The  young  people,  when  informed  of  this 
affair,  were  exceedingly  amused ;  but,  far 
from  making  it  a  mere  matter  of  sport,  they 
immediately  went  to  work  and  provided  Polly 
with  a  silk  of  silver-grey,  a  white  bonnet, 
and,  indeed,  a  complete  bridal  suit.  They 
sent  the  parcel,  the  morning  before  the  mar 
riage,  "  to  Miss  Polly  Potts,"  with  the  follow 
ing  note,  written  by  Idelette : 


A   PLEASANT    VACATION.  227 

A  sailor  wandered  far  and  wide, 

O'er  land  and  stormy  sea, 
And  then  came  home  to  claim  his  bride — 

A  happy  man  was  he. 

For  Polly,  constant  as  the  sun, 

Had  kept  within  her  heart 
The  image  of  the  absent  one — 

A  sailor,  young  and  smart. 

What  though  the  storms  of  twenty  years 

Have  dim'd  his  eye  of  blue, 
And  with  the  brown,  white  hair  appears — 

Her  loving  heart  is  true. 

May  he  who  claims  the  waiting  hand, 

By  kindest  deeds  repay 
The  love,  long  absence  could  withstand, 

And  ne'er  will  know  decay ! 

It  would  be  difficult  to  say  which  gave 
Polly  the  most  pleasure,  the  first  silk  gown 
she  had  ever  worn,  or  the  verses  which  min 
istered  to  the  sentimental  in  her  character, 
which,  though  its  manifestations  were  occa 
sionally  ludicrous,  really  beautified,  the  hum 
ble  life  of  the  faithful  domestic. 

After  a  delightful  month  in  the  country, 
during  which  the  friendship  of  the  two  fami 
lies  had  been  more  firmly  cemented,  the  Len- 
nings  returned  to  their  home.  In  place  of  the 
invaluable  Polly,  they  took  with  them  one  of 


228  GET   MONEY. 

her  nieces,  a  smart  little  girl  of  fourteen,  whom 
Polly  said  was  "of  the  very  best  Yankee 
blood — pious  people  from  generation  to  gen 
eration  ;  for,"  continued  Polly,  "  when  I  went 
to  school,  I  read  in  my  reading-book  what 
one  of  them  Popes  said : 

*  Not  all  the  blood  of  all  the  Howards 
Can  ennoble  fools,  or  sots,  or  cowards.' " 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

A     LONG     SEA     VOYAGE. 

ANOTHER  year  passed  on  quietly  at  the 
Haunted  House.  Anna  Ferguson  had  con 
tinued  her  education  to  this  time  entirely 
with  Mrs.  Lenning,  excepting  receiving  mu 
sical  lessons  from  a  master,  whose  instruc 
tion  Lottie  shared  with  her,  at  the  special  re 
quest  of  Mr.  Ferguson. 

Anna  could  scarcely  have  escaped  the  bene 
ficial  influence  of  good  examples,  even  had 
she  hardened  herself  against  them.  Quite  the 
contrary  ;  her  young  heart  was  pliant  as  wax 
to  the  signet ;  from  month  to  month  there 
was  the  onward  and  upward  progress,  which 
amply  rewarded  her  devoted  teacher,  and 
gained  the  warm  affection  of  her  associate  pupil. 

Sad  was  the  day  to  all  when  Mr.  Ferguson 
announced  to  them  that  he  was  going  to  take 
Anna  to  Europe,  and  should  leave  in  the  next 
steamer. 

20  » 


230  GET   MONEY. 

Nothing  had  been  heard  of  Morris  Fer 
guson  since  his  banishment  from  home,  ex 
cepting  that  he  had  gone  to  sea.  Mrs.  Len- 
ning  conjectured  that  the  father's  heart, 
though  hardened  by  a  long  course  of  success 
ful  usury,  still  yearned  after  his  only  son,  and 
that  he  was  either  anxious  to  banish  him  en 
tirely  from  mind,  by  visiting  new  scenes,  or 
to  find  the  wanderer  and  restore  him  to  his 
rightful  place  in  heart  and  home. 

Lewis,  in  his  twentieth  year,  was  six  feet 
tall,  with  the  same  frank,  honest  countenance 
which  had  at  first  won  the  confidence  of  Mr. 
Lawton,  that  firm  believer  in  physiognomy. 
His  salary  had  been  raised,  but  still  continued 
to  be  only  five  hundred  dollars  per  annum. 

Mr.  Lawton  was  quite  taken  by  surprise 
when  Lewis  said  to  him  one  day,  "  I  have  bad 
an  offer  to  go  to  Calcutta,  as  a  kind  of  super 
cargo.  Mr.  Gramper  offers  me  fifteen  hun 
dred  dollars  a  year,  for  two  years,  one  thou 
sand  to  be  paid  in  advance.  He  is  going  to 
retire  from  business,  and  wishes  to  have  his 
affairs  in  India  all  settled  up.  I  am  allowed 
to  have  a  venture  myself,  in  addition." 

"  So  then,  you  are  willing  to  leave  my  em 
ploy  ?"  said  Mr.  Lawton,  very  gravely. 

"No,   sir;  I  have   been   very  happy   with 


A   LONG   SEA   VOYAGE.  231 

you,  and  am  most  grateful  for  your  kindness  ; 
but  I  must  be  doing  something  for  myself. 
Two  years'  experience  will  enlarge  my  know 
ledge  of  business,  and  of  the  world ;  and  on 
my  return,  I  hope  to  find  a  place  with  you, 
sir,  if  I  am  worthy  of  it ;  or,  perhaps,  I  may 
be  able  to  set  up  business  for  myself." 

"  Lenning,  you  have  withstood  temptation 
when  assailed  by  it  in  various  forms,  and 
through  God's  good  grace,  have  come  off  vic 
torious.  Now  the  temptation  presents  itself, 
not  iii  the  odious  form  of  actual  sin  ;  but  still, 
it  seems  to  me,  it  comes  from  no  good  source. 
Remember  the  £  snare '  which  is  set  for  him 
who  '  hasteth  to  be  rich.'  You  may  plead 
my  example ;  but  I  assure  you,  my  progress, 
for  many  years,  was  a  slow  one.  I  labored 
and  waited  patiently  for  the  harvest." 

"  But,  sir,  I  have  a  mother  and  sister  for 
whom  I  must  provide,"  urged  Lewis. 

"  And  what  do  they  say  to  this  plan  ?" 

"  I  have  not  yet  mentioned  it  to  them.  My 
object  was  to  know  first  if  you  could  spare  me." 

u  Certainly,  if  it  is  for  your  good.  I  have 
already  given  you  a  higher  salary  than  is 
customary,  and  cannot  now  raise  it  without 
giving  dissatisfaction  to  the  rest  of  my  clerks, 
lam  sorry  to  part  with  you,  Lenning;  but 


232  GET   MONEY. 

since  you  think  the  change  so  greatly  for 
your  advantage,  accept  Mr.  Gramper's  of 
fer." 

"  Mr.  Lawton,  I  have  struggled  along  for 
three  years,  and  have  kept  out  of  debt;  my 
mother  has  recovered  her  health ;  my  sister 
is  old  enough  to  be  her  companion  and  friend. 
With  the  thousand  dollars  I  am  to  be  paid  in 
advance,  they  can  be  made  comfortable  at  a 
genteel  boarding-house  in  the  city,  during  my 
absence  ;  I  think  I  can  show  them  how  greatly 
it  will  be  for  their  advantage." 

"  I  have  no  more  to  say,  Lenning.  Your 
motives  seem  to  be  very  fair ;  I  advise  you, 
however,  to  examine  them  more  closely,  and 
if  you  find  underlying  these  seemingly  good 
motives,  others  less  pure  and  noble,  give  this 
matter  a  second  thought,  and  ask  for  divine 
direction." 

***** 

"  Lewis,  my  son,  Mr.  Lawton  is  right.  He 
who  hasteth  to  be  rich,  often  hasteth  to  de 
struction.  I  would  rather  live  on  the  merest 
pittance,  than  to  have  you  exposed  to  the 
temptations  and  dangers  you  must  encounter." 
So  said  Mrs.  Lenning,  when  Lewis  told  her  of 
his  intention  to  go  to  Calcutta. 

"  But,  mother,"  said  Lewis,  "  some  one  must 


A   LONG    SEA    VOYAGE.  233 

meet  these  dangers;  why  should  it  not  be 
your  son,  who  has  health,  courage  enough  to 
undertake  the  voyage,  and  a  sufficient  incen 
tive?" 

"  If  the  incentive  be  to  place  your  mother 
and  sister  in  a  higher  social  position,  it  is  a 
wrong  one.  The  time  will  come,  if  God  so 
wills  it,  that  we  shall  take  the  place  in  society 
for  which  we  are  prepared,"  said  Mrs.  Len- 
ning. 

"  But,  my  dear  mother,  our  sweet,  talented 
Lottie  is  fitted  to  be  'an  ornament  to  society, 
and  it  is  a  '  shame  that  she  should  c  waste 
her  sweetness  on  the  desert  air,'  "  retorted 
Lewis. 

"  She  is  not  ambitious  to  shine  in  society. 
Her  intellectual  resources  are  for  her  own 
enjoyment  and  for  mine,  and  so  are  her 
accomplishments,"  said  the  mother,  gravely. 
u  Should  these  accomplishments  ever  bo 
needed  for  her  support,  she  would  be  ready 
to  employ  them  in  that  way.  Even  now  she 
would  do  so,  rather  than  have  you  venture 
your  life  on  what  seems  so  desperate  an  un 
dertaking." 

"  I  would  not  have  Lottie  use  her  accom 
plishments  as  a  means  of  livelihood,  on  any 
account,"  said  Lewis,  somewhat  too  proudly. 
20* 


234  GET  MONET. 

"  It  is  decided ;  I  must  go  this  one  voyage, 
mother ;  after  that  I  shall  hope  to  be  with  you." 

"  It  is  the  first  time  in  your  life,  my  son, 
that  you  have  taken  an  important  step  with 
out  my  approbation.  I  hope  you  will  not 
have  cause  to  repent  it ;  yet  I  fear  you  will." 

"I  think  I  am  old  enough  to  have  some 
choice  about  the  matter,"  replied  Lewis,  biting 
his  lips,  as  though  restive  under  restraint. 

"  I  yield,  with  sorrowful  misgivings,"  said 
the  mother. 

Lewis  quickly  replied,  "  I  will  secure  lodg 
ings  for  you  in  the  city." 

"  !N"o,  Lewis,  I  shall  remain  where  we  are. 
I  have  no  desire  to  live  in  town,"  said  Mrs. 
Lenning,  with  tearful  eyes,  and  a  voice  half 
choked  with  emotion. 

"  You  would  have  many  more  advantages 
in  town — nearness  to  church,  libraries,  lec 
tures,  artists'  studios,  and  many  other  sources 
of  improvement  for  Lottie,"  suggested  Lewis. 

"  It  is  my  wish  to  remain  where  I  am,"  was 
the  decided  reply. 

"  Of  course,  mother,  you  must  do  as  you 
please ;  but,  indeed,  I  shall  not  feel  as  easy 
about  you  as  I  should,  if  you  were  in  a 
boarding-house  in  the  city." 

"  Give  yourself  no  uneasiness  about  us.     If 


A   LONG    SEA   VOYAGE.  235 

you  have  made  up  jour  mind  to  go,  you  will 
have  sources  of  anxiety  and  discomfort  enough, 
without  troubling  yourself  about  us.  How 
soon  do  you  expect  to  sail  ?" 

"  In  two  weeks  from  this  time." 

A  deep  sigh  from  Mrs.  Lenning  was  the 
only  response. 


CHAPTER  XXYll. 

DANDY    DAN. 

THE  ship  Ceylon.  Captain  Sparks,  was  a 
fine  staunch  East  Indiaman,  bound  for  Cal 
cutta.  On  her  quarter-deck  Lewis  Lenning 
watched  the  receding  shores  of  his  native 
land,  and  as  they  disappeared,  he  felt  almost 
like  a  soul  shut  out  from  Heaven. 

His  intense  home-sickness  yielded  to  sea 
sickness,  which  continued  week  after  week, 
until  the  robust  Lewis  was  reduced,  like  the 
German  boy  who  would  not  eat  his  soup, 
nearly  to  an  anatomical  specimen. 

As  soon  as  the  sea-sickness  abated,  the 
agonizing  home-sickness  returned.  The  long 
siege,  from  two  such  enemies,  had  completely 
broken  down  the  unfortunate  Lewis,  who  had 
never  before  known  a  day's  illness.  Languid 
and  nervous,  unfit  for  physical  or  mental 
exertion,  he  lay  in  his  berth,  day  after  day, 

236 


DANDY   DAN.  237 

lamenting  the  rash  step  he  had  taken,  longing 
for  the  soothing  sympathy  and  sweet  society 
of  his  mother  and  sister. 

In  the  cabin,  beside  Lewis,  there  was  no 
body  but  the  captain,  and  the  first  and  second 
mates.  Captain  Sparks  was  a  hard-featured, 
weather-bronzed  sailor,  who  had  risen  from 
before  the  mast,  and  now  "  dressed  in  a  little 
brief  authority,"  was  glad  to  pay  off  all  the 
stripes  he  had  received  while  a  subordinate. 
The  sound  of  the  lash  often  reached  the  ears 
of  Lewis,  as  the  "  cat "  was  administered  to 
the  bare  backs  of  the  sailors. 

The  captain  was  not  absolutely  rude  towards 
the  supercargo ;  he  treated  him  as  though  he 
were  a  sick  kitten.  The  evident  contempt, 
mingled  with  his  pity,  was  by  no  means 
agreeable  to  our  young  gentleman,  who  prided 
himself  on  his  manliness. 

Lewis  heard  Captain  Sparks  muttering  one 
day  to  the  first  mate,  as  he  rolled  an  immense 
quid  of  tobacco  in  his  huge  mouth,  "I  told 
Mr.  Gramper  just  how  it  would  be,  if  he  sent 
this  fresh-water  counter-jumper  on  the  voyage. 
The  boy  had  better  have  stayed  at  home  with 
his  mammy." 

In  addition  to  the  habitual  roughness  of  the 
captain,  a  free  use  of  brandy  and  other  incen- 


238  GET   MONEY. 

tives  to  evil,  often  rendered  him  irritable  and 
cruel.  The  two  mates  were  ever  ready  to 
partake  with  the  captain  in  his  liberal  pota 
tions.  In  vain  did  they  urge  J^ewis  to  join 
them,  by  telling  him  he  would  never  be  well 
and  hearty  again  without  some  stimulus  to 
strengthen  him.  Their  revels  were  exceed 
ingly  disgusting  to  him,  and  his  persistent 
refusals  to  join  them  were  a  tacit  reproof,  till 
at  last  he  seemed  to  them  a  spy,  and,  of  course, 
an  enemy. 

The  sailors,  too,  regarded  the  supercargo 
as  a  kind  of  nondescript  land-lubber ;  his 
advances  towards  them,  made  with  the  kindest 
intention,  were  bluntly  repulsed,  with  a  single 
exception.  An  old,  grizzly-bearded  seaman, 
whenever  he  passed  Lewis  on  deck,  touched 
his  tarpaulin,  and  gave  him  a  pleasant  smile, 
but  avoided  all  conversation.  Not  so  with 
one  of  the  younger  sailors,  who  never  came 
near  the  supercargo  without  a  glance  of  fierce 
defiance.  Lewis  was  at  a  loss  to  know  how 
he  had  given  offence  to  the  young  sailor,  who 
was  evidently  ill-disposed  towards  him,  and 
evinced  it  by  mean  and  mischievous  tricks, 
played  off  by  himself  and  the  other  sailors  on 
the  unfortunate  Lewis. 

The  countenance  of  this  young  sailor  seemed 


DANDY   DAN.  239 

familiar,  yet  Lewis  could  not  remember  where 
he  had  seen  it  before.  That  countenance  was 
fearful,  so  marred  was  it  by  bad  passions  and 
by  habitual  intemperance.  Night  and  day 
this  half-familiar,  hateful  countenance,  haunted 
Lewis  like  an  evil  genius.  The  vague  recol 
lection  he  could  not  bring  out  clearly ;  the 
mysterious  telegraph,  which  connects  the  past 
with  the  present,  had  not  yet  received  the  elec 
tric  touch  of  association. 

Lewis  inquired  of  the  second  mate  about 
the  young  sailor,  and  was  gruffly  told  that  he 
was  known  as  Dandy  Dan  ;  by  no  other  name 
had  he  been  called  on  board  the  Ceylon. 

One  day,  when  the  Ceylon  had  been  out  to 
sea  about  three  months,  Dandy  Dan  was 
found  asleep,  during  his  watch,  and  so  much 
intoxicated  that  it  was  difficult  to  arouse  him. 
The  captain,  as  if  to  make  up  by  severity  to 
others  for  his  own  misdemeanors,  punished 
drunkenness  in  the  sailors  "  with  a  vengeance." 
He  ordered  fifty  lashes  to  be  given  to  Dandy 
Dan,  as  soon  as  he  came  out  of  his  drunken 
fit.  '  From  this  time  the  young  sailor  was  more 
sulky  than  ever,  and  manifested  his  spite 
against  the  captain  and  the  unoffending  super 
cargo  in  every  possible  way. 

The  captain  accused  the  second  mate  of 


24:0  GET   MONEY. 

furnishing  grog  to  Dandy  Dan  by  stealth,  and 
a  sharp  quarrel  ensued  between  them,  which 
rendered  the  cabin  a  small  Pandemonium. 

Shut  out  from  all  intercourse  with  his  fel 
low-men,  the  mind  of  Lewis  Lenning  turned 
to  its  own  resources.  He  pondered  much  on 
human  life,  and  especially  his  own  life,  and 
for  what  purpose  it  was  given.  As  the  best, 
and  only  sure  philosophy  to  solve  this  mys 
tery,  he  resorted  to  his  mother's  parting  gift — 
the  Bible.  He  did  not  learn  from  that  book 
the  world's  dread  lesson — namely — 

"Nothing  comes  amiss,  so  money  comes 
withal." 

No,  the  question  was  forced  home  to  him, 
"  What  shall  it  profit  a  man,  though  he  should 
gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?1? 

Could  it  be  that  in  the  pursuit  of  gain,  he 
was  running  that  fearful  risk ! 

The  sun  was  just  setting  one  evening,  as 
Lewis  lay  upon  the  deck,  with  his  Bible 
spread  before  him.  A  glorious  flood  of  golden 
light  illumined  the  western  sky,  and  was  re 
flected  on  the  wide  waters.  As  the  sky  grew 
pale  and  grey,  Lewis  turned  and  watched  the 
stars  as  they  came  timidly  forth  to  gem  the 
magnificent  canopy,  which  seemed  to  him  the 
tabernacle  of  the  Almighty. 


DANDY   DAft.  241 


As  he  thus  lay,  lost  in  wonder  and  adora 
tion,  the  grey-bearded  sailor  came  near  him, 
apparently  to  handle  some  cordage.  The 
sailor  stooped  and  whispered  in  his  ear,  ''Mas 
ter  Lenning,  your  life  is  in  danger.  Don't 
stir,  but  listen.  I  am  Tom  Brown,  your  friend, 
'cause  I  married  your  Polly  Potts,  my  old 
woman." 

Lewis  grasped  the  tarry  hand  of  the  sailor, 
who  continued,  "  Don't  move,  or  somebody  '11 
see  us.  There's  an  awful  mutjny  aboard  ship. 
I've  watched  for  you  for  two  days,  to  tell  you, 
and  this  is  the  first  chance  I've  got.  It's  my 
watch  now.  Dandy  Dan  has  made  every 
sailor  aboard  but  me  sign  a  paper  in  blood. 
They  are  going  to  put  you,  and  captain,  and 
first  mate  out  of  the  way,  and  turn  pirates. 
There's  two  carronades  on  deck,  muskets  and 
cutlasses  in  the  cabin,  and  a  double  supply  of 
powder  in  the  run.  They  can't  get  along 
very  well  without  me,  for  I  know  more  about 
these  seas  than  any  man  aboard.  I  must  save 
you,  poor  young  Master  Lenning,  but  I  don't 
know  how  it  is  to  be  done." 

"  "Who  is  Dandy  Dan  ?"  eagerly  inquired 
Lewis. 

At  this  moment  the  second  mate  appeared 
on  deck. 

21 


242  GET   MONEY. 

"  What  are  you  doing  here,  old  fellow  ?"  he 
fiercely  demanded. 

Tom  muttered  something  about  "  handling  a 
line,"  touched  his  tarpaulin  respectfully,  and 
left. 

"You  seem  to  have  a  dull  time  aboard, 
Mr.  Lenning ;  pray,  what  book  were  you  read 
ing  just  now?  I  was  watching  you  as  you 
lay  there  with  it  before  you,"  said  the  second 
mate. 

"  The  Bible,"  was  the  reply. 

"  I  heard  of  such  a  book  when  I  was  a  boy ; 
it's  a  queer,  old-fashioned '  thing ;  I  wonder 
how  you  can  find  amusement  in  it,"  said  the 
second  mate,  with  a  vain  attempt  at  a 
laugh. 

"I  find  something  better  than  amusement; 
I  find  the  only  light  which  can  guide  me 
through  the  dark  valley  of  the  shadow  of 
death." 

Lewis,  as  he  said  this,  started  to  his  feet, 
clasped  the  Bible  to  his  bosom,  and  fixed  his 
eyes  steadily  on  the  second  mate,  who  cast  a 
furtive  glance  around,  and  then  in  a  low,  half- 
stifled  voice,  continued;  "You  might 'need 
such  a  guide  right  quick,  if  I  hadn't  made  up 
my  mind  to  save  you.  Swear  to  me  you  will 
not  reveal  what  I  am  about  to  tell  you." 


DANDY    DAN.  243 

"I  cannot  swear;  my  word  is  sufficient," 
said  Lewis. 

"  "We've  no  time  to  parley,"  quickly  replied 
the  second  mate.  "  As  you  lay  there  an  hour 
ago,  you  looked  like  a  young  brother  of  mine 
just  as  he  was  dying  with  consumption.  My 
good  mother  said  he  was  going  straight  to 
Heaven,  and  the  light  of  glory  was  already 
on  his  face.  I  saw  the  same  light  on  yours 
just  now;  you  shan't  go  yet,  if  I  can  help 
it.  Captain  and  first  mate  have  had  a  carouse, 
and  are  fast  asleep  in  the  cabin ;  they  won't 
wake  again." 

"Never!"  exclaimed  Lewis. 

"  Never  in  this  world ;  perhaps  they  will  in 
a  hotter  place,"  muttered  the  mate. 

"  Spare  them !  oh,  for  mercy's  sake,  spare 
them !  Don't  cut  them  off  in  the  midst  of 
their  sins,"  pleaded  Lewis. 

"  It's  not  for  me  to  spare  them.  I  run  the 
risk  of  my  own  life  to  spare  yours.  Tom 
Brown  has  been  faithful  and  kind  to  me — he 
will  be  so  to  you.  I  have  got  everything 
ready  for  you  to  go  with  him  in  that  small 
boat.  You  must  be  off  instantly.  Tom 
wouldn't  sign  Dandy  Dan's  paper,  and  it 
might  be  dangerous  for  him  to  stay  aboard, 
Hurry  below  for  some  of  your  clothing,  you 


244  GET   MONEY. 

must  be  off  in  ten  minutes.  I  will  prepare 
Tom  for  his  part.  I've  sent  all  hands  below 
to  mess,  and  given  them  a  double  ration  of 
grog.  An  awful  night  is  before  us  !  Dandy 
Dan  and  I  will  be  the  only  sober  men  on 
board." 

At  that  awful  moment  the  truth  flashed 
into  the  mind  of  Lewis  Lenning,  and  he  ex 
claimed,  "  Morrison  Ferguson !" 

"  Who  told  you  that  ?  Your  life  would  not 
be  worth  a  straw  if  Dandy  Dan  heard  it. 
Hurry,  or  you'll  be  too  late.  There,  I  hear 
the  roar  of  the  crew." 

So  saying,  the  second  mate  seized  Lewis 
by  the  arm,  and  hastened  with  him  to  the 
cabin.  There  were  the  captain  and  mate 
sound  asleep  by  the  table,  which  was  covered 
with  bottles  and  glasses.  The  second  mate 
hastened  to  give  directions  to  Tom.  A  box 
containing  specie,  the  special  charge  of  Lewis, 
had  been  screwed  down  at  the  foot  of  his 
berth,  for  safe-keeping.  It  was  now  gone. 
As  he  was  searching  for  it,  the  second  mate 
returned. 

"  You  needn't  hunt  for  your  money,  that 
was  the  great  temptation  to  Dandy  Dan." 

So  saying  the  mate  shouldered  a  small  trunk 
containing  clothing  and  papers,  and  hurried 


DANDY   DAN.  245 

with  it  on  deck,  imploring  Lewis  to  follow. 
The  boat  on  the  larboard  quarter  was  uncov 
ered,  ready  for  lowering  away.  The  mate 
threw  the  trunk  in,  where  he  had  already 
placed  a  bag  of  biscuit,  a  keg  of  water  and 
some  salt  junk. 

"  Hurry,  hurry !  the  crew  will  be  upon 
us,"  cried  Tom. 

The  boat  was  lowered,  and  cut  adrift  in  an 
instant.  Just  as  it  touched  the  water,  by  the 
dim  light,  Lewis  saw  the  bloated  face  of  Fer 
guson  looking  over  the  quarter-rail,  and  a 
pistol  shot  fired  by  him,  struck  the  brim  of 
Tom's  tarpaulin. 

In  a  moment  more  the  boat  was  tossing  in 
the  foaming  wake  of  the  great  ship.  Soon 
the  black  hulk  and  huge  sails  disappeared  in 
the  distance ;  and  as  the  "  deep  below "  mir 
rored  the  "  deep  above,"  the  frail  little  boat 
seemed  suspended  in  infinite  space,  with  no 
light  but  "  the  pale  light  of  stars,"  no  guide 
but  the  Almighty,  who  "  holdeth  the  waters 
in  the  hollow  of  his  hand." 


21* 


CHAPTEK  XXVIII. 

A  WANDERER'S   RETURN. 

LONELY  and  sad  were  Mrs.  Lenning  and 
Charlotte,  after  the  departure  of  Lewis.  It 
was  some  time  before  they  could  arouse  them 
selves  from  the  lethargic  state  which  follows 
extreme  sorrow.  The  loss  of  Lewis  seemed 
to  them  so  needless ;  they  were  so  happy  as  a 
family ;  all  their  wants  were  supplied ;  they 
were  not  ambitious ;  they  had  learned  St. 
Paul's  wholesome  lesson,  "to  be  content." 
It  was  variety  enough  for  them  to  have  Lewis 
return  from  town  every  day  with  some  maga 
zine  or  book  for  the  evening-reading,  and  to 
have  him  with  them  at  home  and  at  church 
on  Sunday.  Lewis  had  Lottie  for  a  compa 
nion  in  all  his  studies.  He  was  steady,  indus 
trious,  and  happy,  till  the  glittering  bait  was 
placed  before  him  which  drew  him  from 
home. 

246 


Alas !  for  our  country,  this  restless  ques 
tioning,  "  Who  will  show  us  any  good  ?"  this 
insane  craving  for  wealth  which  breaks  up 
our  pleasant  country  homes,  and  sends  our 
young  men  to  the  "  ends  of  the  earth,"  or  en 
gulfs  them  in  the  Maelstrom  of  city  life !  Is 
there  no  voice  of  warning  loud  and  strong 
enough  to  reach  the  young,  fresh,  compara 
tively  innocent,  thousands  of  boys,  who  are 
still  sheltered  beneath  the  parental  roof,  in  the 
blessed  country — the  quiet,  health-promoting, 
peace-promoting  country  ? 

"  God  made  the  country,  and  man  made  the  town." 

Lottie's  happiness  being  so  closely  inter 
woven  with  that  of  her  brother,  the  severing 
from  him  was  like  tearing  away  a  limb.  Her 
sensibility,  ever  acute,  now  threatened  to  ren 
der  her  quite  miserable.  She  was  prevented 
from  falling  into  morbid  melancholy  by  an 
imperative  call  to  active  exertion  for  the  good 
of  others. 

One  cool  evening  in  autumn,  as  Mrs.  Len- 
ning  and  Lottie  were  sitting  by  the  fire  in  the 
dining-room,  they  were  startled  by  a  loud 
knock  at  the  front  door.  The  small  servant, 
Betsey,  had  been  sent  early  to  bed.  Lottie  went 


248  GET   MONEY. 

to  the  door  with  a  lamp  in  her  hand.  It 
shone  on  the  ghastly  face  of  a  miserable  look 
ing  man,  whose  dark  eyes  glared  upon  her 
from  under  shaggy  eyebrows,  as  though  he 
had  come  with  no  good  intent.  For  a  mo 
ment  neither  spoke ;  then  said  the  stranger, 
in  a  hoarse  voice,  "  Mrs.  Lenning  lives  here." 

"  She  does ;  do  you  wish  to  see  her  ?"  tim 
idly  asked  Lottie. 

Without  replying,  the  man  stepped  in,  and 
when  Lottie  turned  and  walked  rapidly  to  the 
dining-room,  he  followed. 

A  start,  and  faint  scream  from  Mrs.  Len 
ning,  and  the  exclamation  from  the  stranger, 
"  Maria,  my  blessed  wife,  how  changed !"  re 
vealed  to  Lottie  that  the  man  was  her  father. 

Mrs.  Lenning  was  too  much  overcome  to 
rise,  and  covered  her  face  with  her  hands. 
Mr.  Lenning  approached  her,  and  laying  his 
bony  hand  on t her  shoulder,  exclaimed,  "So, 
you  have  not  forgiven  me  !" 

"  Oh  yes,  Harry,  you  are  entirely  forgiven." 

"  I  have  come  here  to  die,"  said  he,  in  a 
hollow  voice. 

"  To  die !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Lenning,  fixing 
her  eyes  wildly  on  the  pale  emaciated  face 
before  her. 

Lottie  placed  a  chair  by  the  fire,  and  took 


EETUKN.  24:9 

from  her  father's  hand  his  hat  and  a  small 
"bundle.  Without  speaking  to  her,  he  drew 
the  chair  close  to  Mrs.  Lenning,  and  whis 
pered  in  her  ear, 

"  That  must  be  my  Lottie.  Does  she  know 
all?" 

"  She  does  not,"  was  the  whispered  reply. 

"  Lottie,  my  own  Lottie,  you  do  not  remem 
ber  }^our  father,"  said  Mr.  Lenning,  extending 
his  hand  to  Lottie. 

The  natural  kindliness  of  her  feelings  and 
her  filial  affection  were  instantly  aroused. 
Lottie  threw  her  arms  around  her  father's 
neck,  kissed  him,  and  burst  into  tears.  His 
heart,  which  had  been  like  polar  ice  for  many 
winters,  melted  under  this  genial  influence. 
The  poor  wanderer  held  her  to  his  breast  and 
sobbed  aloud. 

Mrs.  Lenning,  now  recovered  from  the  para 
lyzing  emotion  which  the  sudden  appearance 
of  her  long-lost  husband  had  induced,  kindly 
suggested  that  he  needed  refreshment  and 
rest.  Lottie  immediately  hastened  to  prepare 
coffee  and  a  comfortable  supper. 

Mr.  Lenning  had  been  absent  from  his 
family  seven  long  years,  without  a  word  to 
inform  them  whether  he  were  yet  in  the  land 
of  the  living.  He  had  fled  from  justice,  hav- 


250  GET   MONEY. 

ing  been  a  defaulter  to  a  large  amount  to  the 
bank  of  which  he  was  cashier.  After  wan 
dering  over  Europe  and  some  parts  of  Asia, 
and  suffering  from  extreme  poverty,  he  had 
begged  a  passage  to  the  United  States,  and 
had  come  home,  as  he  said,  to  die.  He  still 
feared  detection  and  arrest,  and  had  stealthily 
travelled  on  foot  and  at  night,  first  to  Water- 
ville,  where  he  learned  of  the  removal  of  his 
fanrily,  and  thence  to  their  present  home. 

The  next  day  Mr.  Lenning  was  very  ill,  but 
he  could  not  be  induced  to  call  in  a  physician. 
His  disease  had  been  accelerated  by  fatigue 
and  nervous  agitation.  It  was  evident  that 
no  earthly  power  could  arrest  his  progress  to 
the  grave. 

"  Oh!  if  I  could  but  have  seen  my  son,  I 
should  be  more  willing  to  die,"  was  his  con 
stant  exclamation. 

"What  will  you  do  without  Lewis,  when 
the  dreadful  hour  comes?"  was  the  question 
often  asked  by  him,  with  intense  interest. 

An  unspeakable  consolation  was  granted  to 
Mrs.  Lenning — her  husband  became  a  sincere, 
humble  penitent.  Again  and  again  he  listened 
with  fervent  interest  to  the  parable  of  the  Pro 
digal  Son,  and  responded  to  the  confession,  "  I 
have  sinned  against  heaven  and  before  Thee." 


251 


"  Tell  Lewis,"  said  he,  "  the  world  is  a  hard 
master.  I  am  so  bruised  and  scarred,  so 
blackened  and  deformed  in  mind  and  soul 
by  long  service  to  this  master,  that  I  shrink 
from  the  purity  of  Heaven.  Even  with  the 
faint  hope  of  forgiveness,  which  gleams  across 
my  darkened  soul,  mingles  the  bitterest  re 
morse  for  the  past." 

At  times,  almost  despairing  of  mercy,  the 
sweet  voice  of  Lottie,  as  she  sang  some  holy 
hymn,  would  soothe  his  troubled  spirit.  As 
she  smoothed  his  pillow,  or  held  the  cup  of 
water  to  his  fevered  lips,  her  face  was  to  him 
"  as  the  face  of  an  angel." 

Worn  out  with  constant  care  and  watching, 
Mrs.  Lenning  sent  to  "Waterville  for  her  faith 
ful  Polly,  who  immediately  hastened  to  the 
relief  of  her  beloved  mistress. 

For  a  whole  month  after  her  arrival,  the 
suffering,  sorrowing  man  hovered  between  life 
and  death,  and  then  gently  passed  away. 
His  last  words  were,  "  My  son !  my  son ! 

Tell  him  to  take  warning  by" his  voice 

failed  him  for  a  second;  he  then  added,  "No 
man  can  serve  two  masters ;  tell  him  *  serve 
God.'  " 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


A   NOBLE   FRIEND. 

LEWIS  LENNING  had  been  absent  from  home 
nearly  a  year  before  his  mother  received  any 
tidings  from  him ;  she  then  had  the  following 

LETTER. 

Hoogly  River, . 

MY  BELOVED  MOTHER,— If  the  good  Providence  of  God, 
which  has  hitherto  watched  over  me,  should  bring  me  safely 
to  you  again,  my  joy  will  be  great  beyond  expression.  Oh, 
how  could  I  have  been  so  foolish,  so  wicked  as  to  leave  you ! 
Forgive  me,  my  precious  mother,  my  darling  sister! 

I  have  much  to  tell  you  of  my  perils  by  sea,  but  will  at 
present  only  say,  there  was  a  mutiny  on  board  the  Ceylon, 
when  we  were  within  about  a  week's  sail  of  Calcutta.  I  was 
set  adrift  at  night,  in  a  small  boat  on  the  wide  ocean,  hun 
dreds  of  miles  from  land.  My  only  companion  was  Tom 
Brown,  Polly's  husband,  a  capital  fellow;  well  might  Ide- 
lette  say : 

'What,  though  the  storms  of  twenty  years 

Have  dimm'd  his  eye  of  blue, 
And  with  the  brown,  white  hair  appears — 
His  loving  heart  is  true,' 


<v  NOBLE  FRIKND.  253 

for  a  nobler,  truer  heart  never  beat  beneath  a  sailor's 
jacket.  You  know  Polly's  fear  of  ridicule  was  such  that 
i  was  not  allowed  to  be  present  at  the  marriage,  and  it 
so  happened,  that  I  had  never  seen  Tom  till  I  met  him  on 
board  ship,  and  did  not  know  him  till  that  very  night,  that 
awful  nUht,  when  we  escaped  from  the  Ceylon. 

When  we  had  drifted  so  far  from  the  ship,  that,  in  the 
darkness,  she  was  no  longer  visible — when  everything 
around  us  was  silent  and  solemn  as  the  grave — I  heard  a 
low,  chuckling  laugh  from  my  companion.  Verily,  thought 
I,  Tom  has  gone  mad.  I  could  scarcely  command  myself 
to  ask  the  reason  for  this  awesome,  insane  laughter. 

"  I'm  thinking,"  said  Tom,  with  another  chuckling,  "  I'm 
thinking  how  cutely  I've  fooled  Dandy  Dan  out  of  your 
money." 

"How's  that,  Tom?" 

"  Why,  you  see,  you  hadn't  left  the  cabin  more  than  half 
an  hour  this  afternoon  (this  afternoon !  it  seemed  to  me  a 
week  ago),  when  Dandy  Dan  told  me  he  would  spare  my 
life,  if  I  would  take  care  of  a  strong  box  containing  money, 
which  had  been  in  your  berth ;  he  had  unscrewed  it,  and 
wanted  me  to  hide  it  for  a  while  from  every  one  on  board, 
and  as  the  safest  place  to  put  it  in  my  own  chest.  I  did  so, 
because  I  hoped  then,  to  keep  it  for  you  somehow.  When 
I  went  below  to  snatch  up  a  bundle  for  myself,  you  see,  I 
just  wrapped  a  pea-jacket  and  flannel  shirt  around  the  box, 
and  there  it  is,  safe  and  sound." 

"  Alas!  what  good  will  it  do  us,  Tom  ?"  I  replied,*with  a 
deep  groan. 

"It  does  me  good,  at  this  minute,  to  think  that  rascal, 
Dandy  Dan,  hasn't  got  it." 

"  He  promised  to  spare  your  life,  and  yet  you  have  ven 
tured  it  here  in  this  poor  little  boat,  for  my  sake,"  I  cried, 
wondering  at  the  sailor's  devotion. 

"Sure  I  have,  and  why  not,  Master  Lenning?  Wasn't 
22 


254  GET   MONEY. 

your  good  marm  and  your  pretty  sister  kind  to  my  Polly ! 
Besides,  I  would  rather  be  here  with  you  than'  board  ship, 
among  those  blood-thirsty  villains.  Oh,  there'll  be  fighting 
there  after  they've  got  rid  of  the  captain  and  first  mate ! 
Come,  cheer  up,  Master  Leaning.  We've  got  a  compass, 
grub  enough  to  last  a  week  or  so,  two  pair  of  oars,  a 
bit  of  canvas,  and  a  smooth  sea.  I  know  our  latitude 
and  longitude,  and  with  the  help  of  sun  and  stars  can 
keep  it,  till  we  reach  Calcutta.  I'm  an  old  salt,  and  have 
been  seven  voyages  to  Calcutta  before.  I've  been  in 
a  worse  fix  than  this  hundreds  of  times.  Come,  cheer 
up,  you'll  see  your  marm  yet,  and  I  shall  see  my  old 
woman." 

The  thought  of  you,  my  dear  blessed  mother,  and  my 
sweet  sister,  whom  I  had  forsaken,  overwhelmed  me. 
Agonizing  tears,  such  as  were  never  forced  from  my  eyes 
before,  testified  to  the  intense  bitterness  of  self-reproach. 

But  it  is  useless  for  me  to  dwell  on  the  anxiety  which 
your  forlorn  wanderer  suffered  during  that  long,  long  week 
which  passed  away  while  we  were  floating  on  the  ocean, 
without  sight  of  a  single  vessel.  The  sea  nearly  all  that 
time  was  perfectly  calm.  I  passed  much  of  my  time  in 
reading  my  Bible,  prayer,  and  self-examination,  mingled, 
alas!  with  self-accusation.  Feeling  deeply  that  I  could  not 
atone  for  the  past,  I  at  length  committed  myself  trustfully 
to  the  Almighty  Saviour. 

Thus,  my  mind,  though  like  the  ocean  around  me,  occa 
sionally  agitated  on  the  surface,  was  tranquil  in  its  innermost 
depths.  Tranquil,  even  through  a  night  of  fearful  storm 
which  at  length  came  upon  us,  accompanied  by  tremendous 
thunder  and  the  most  vivid  lightning.  Up  and  down  our 
little  boat  was  tossed  on  the  waves,  like  a  floating  cork.  As 
the  mighty  waves  dashed  over  the  sides  of  our  frail  boat, 
and  kept  us  bailing,  I  proposed  to  lighten  it  by  throw 
ing  over  the  strong  box.  To  this  Tom  would  not  con- 


A    NOBLE   FEIEND.  255 

sent,  saying  we  were  in  a  tight  little  craft  which  could  ride 
out  a  worse  gale  yet. 

When  morning  dawned,  the  sky  was  clear,  and  a  large 
ship  was  in  sight.  Evidently,  she  had  suffered  from  the 
storm,  for  even  at  that  distance  Tom  could  discern  broken 
spars.  Although  the  waves  were  still  running  high,  Tom 
raised  our  sail,  and  the  wind  proving  fair,  in  a  few  hours 
we  were  within  hailing  distance.  Great  was  our  joy  to  find 
we  had  attracted  notice ;  the  ship  hove-to,  and  gave  us  an 
opportunity  to  approach.  No  one  but  a  sailor  of  Tom's 
experience,  could  have  so  deftly  brought  the  boat  along 
side  the  ship  None  but  seamen  bent  on  doing  their  duty 
could  have  brought  us  so  safely  on  board.  Our  boat  and 
all  its  contents  were  saved. 

The  ship  proved  to  be  the  Thames  of  London,  an  English 
East  Indiaman,  Captain  Thornton,  master,  bound  for  Cal 
cutta,  and  now  within  two  days'  sail  of  that  port. 

We  were  kindly  treated,  though  at  first  I  was  sent  to  mess 
among  the  sailors.  Tom  found  among  them  two  or  three  old 
messmates  with  whom  he  had  weathered  many  a  storm,  ana 
who  now  cordially  welcomed  him. 

Captain  Thornton's  wife  and  daughter  were  on  board  the 
Thames.  As  they  were  going  on  deck,  the  day  after  my 
sudden  arrival,  they  saw  me  standing  near  the  companion- 
way.  I  had  dressed  myself  neatly,  and,  of  course,  did  not 
look  like  a  common  sailor.  They  requested  Captain  Thornton 
to  call  me,  to  give  an  account  of  the  shipicreck,  for  such  the 
captain  supposed  it  to  have  been.  He  had  been  much  occu 
pied  since  the  storm,  and  had  only  given  orders  that  the 
shipwrecked  sailors  should  be  well  treated.  They  were 
all  shocked  to  hear  of  the  mutiny  on  board  the  Ceylon. 

"  That  must  have  been  the  very  ship  that  blew  up  in  our 
sight,  four  days  ago,"  said  the  captain. 

"Blew  up  !"  I  exclaimed  ;  "  how  was  that,  sir?" 

"  Four  days  ago  we  came  in  sight  of  a  large  ship,  with  all 


256  GET   MONEY. 

sails  set,  steering  soutL-sou'  east.  We  run  up  our  flag,  but 
no  colors  were  shown  in  return.  We  were  not  within  hail 
ing  distance,  but  as  we  came  nearer,  we  were  sure,  from  the 
build,  that  the  ship  must  be  an  American.  Again  we  sig 
naled  to  have  her  show  her  colors.  A  small  black  flag  was 
then  run  up  to  mast-head,  having  something  white,  like  a 
human  skull,  upon  it.  'A  pirate!  a  pirate  !' was  the  cry, 
and  as  quickly  as  possible  we  sent  a  shot  at  her.  It  was 
immediately  returned  from  a  carronade  on  deck.  We  were 
too  far  off  to  be  reached  by  their  awkward  firing.  All  at 
once,  as  our  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  piratical  craft,  there  was 
a  sudden  burst  of  smoke  and  fire,  followed  by  a  tremendous 
explosion.  The  ship  had  blown  up.  The  scattered  rem 
nants  floated  on  the  waves.  I  ordered  a  boat  to  be  man" 
ned,  and  sent  it  off,  but  nothing  was  picked  up  but  the  stern 
of  the  pirate's  long-boat,  on  which  was,  '  Ceylon  of  Boston.' 
Every  soul  on  board  perished." 

This,  then,  was  the  dreadful  end  of  Morrison  Ferguson,  and 
all  those  wicked  wretches,  his  accomplices  in  crime ! 

"  It  must  have  been  the  unfortunate  Ceylon,"  said  I, 
struck  with  horror  at  the  final  catastrophe 

Tom,  when  he  heard  the  Ceylon  had  been  blown  up,  said 
there  were  fifty  kegs  of  powder  among  the  cargo,  and  the 
wretches  must  have  set  it  on  fire,  when  they  broke  bulk 
after  New  England  rum. 

"Have  you  letters  to  any  one  in  Calcutta?"  inquired  Mrs. 
Thornton,  with  the  thoughtful  kindness  of  a  lady. 

I  immediately  produced  the  letters  which  I  had  placed  in 
my  pocket  for  the  very  purpose  of  showing  them  to  the  cap 
tain,  when  opportunity  occurred.  One  letter  was  to  the 
United  States  Consul ;  the  others  to  leading  merchants  in 
Calcutta.  Our  excellent  Mr.  Lawton  had  given  me  one  to 
an  English  merchant.  I  had  placed  it  with  the  others,  with 
out  reading  it.  As  it  was  a  letter  of  introduction,  and  of 
course  unsealed,  Captain  Thornton  asked  permission  to  read 


A   NOBLE   FEIEND.  257 

it,  saying  he  was  well  acquainted  with  the  gentleman  to 
whom  it  was  addressed.  Notwithstanding  my  having  left 
Mr.  Lawton  so  unreasonably,  he  mentioned  me  very  kindly 
in  his  letter,  and  particularly  commended  me  to  the  English 
merchant's  polite  attentions,  as  a  young  gentleman  wishing 
to  see  the  country,  and  learn  something  of  its  peculiar  insti 
tutions. 

The  information  contained  in  Mr.  Lawton's  letter,  with 
regard  to  myself,  was  very  satisfactory  to  Captain  Thornton. 
He  invited  me  to  take  a  vacant  state-room,  and  to  come  to 
his  table. 

You  know,  dear  mother,  my  salary  was  paid  in  advance. 
I  received  two  thousand  dollars  of  it  in  goods  for  this  mar 
ket,  as  a  venture,  from  which  I  expected  to  realize  more  than 
double  the  sum.  It  has  all  gone  to  the  winds  and  waves. 

I  have  just  been  on  deck.  We  are  now  in  sight  of  Cal 
cutta,  which  presents  an  imposing  appearance,  extending  as 
it  docs  for  more  than  three  miles  along  the  east  bank  of  the 
Hoogley  River.  We  have  just  passed  Fort  William,  an 
immense  citadel,  from  which  there  must  be  a  commanding 
view  of  the  adjacent  country.  This  fortification  was  com 
menced  by  Lord  Clive,  almost  a  century  ago,  when  the  Eng 
lish  were  compelled  to  defend  their  then  small  possessions 
in  the  East.  How  mightily  have  they  since  increased !  As 
we  stood  on  deck,  I  shuddered  with  horror,  while  Captain 
Thornton  spoke  of  the  sufferings  of  those  Englishmen  who 
were  thrown  into  the  "Black  Hole,"  by  the  Soubah,  Souraja 
Doulah.  Out  of  one  hundred  and  forty-six  who  were  thrust 
at  night  into  a  dungeon,  eighteen  feet  square,  only  twenty- 
three  came  out  alive  the  next  morning ! 

We  are  now  passing  the  beautiful  plain  between  Fort 
WilliUm  and  the  city.  This  is  the  "Boston  Common"  of 
Calcutta,  where  the  people  come  to  enjoy  the  morning  air, 
or  to  take  a  drive  in  the  evening. 

I  came  down  to  the  cabin  to  finish  my  letter,  because 


258  GET   MONET. 

Captain  Thornton  said  I  might  have  an  opportunity  to  send 
it  immediately  on  our  arrival.  I  have  this  moment  learned 
that  a  ship,  bound  for  New  York,  is  dropping  down  the 
river,  and  our  mail  for  the  United  States  must  be  closed  in 
a  few  minutes.  I  have  only  time  to  add,  my  beloved  mo 
ther,  my  darling  sister,  God  bless  you!  Devotedly  your 
son.  Yes,  dearest  ones,  think  kindly  and  forgivingly  of 
your  erring,  but  grateful  and  loving  Lewis. 

P.  S.  Tom  Brown  begs  (as  he  is  no  writer)  that  you  will 
let  his  Polly  know  that  he  is  "  alive  and  well,  and  loves  her 
always. " 

P.  S.  2d.     Remember  me  kindly  to  the  Scofields. 

The  mingled  feelings  of  joy  and  sorrow 
which  agitated  the  bosoms  of  the  mother  and 
sister,  on  the  reception  of  this  letter,  were 
shared  by  the  sailor's  wife,  who,  since  the 
death  of  Mr.  Lenning,  had  remained  at  the 
Haunted  House. 


CHAPTEK  XXX. 


ANNA  FEKGTJSON  and  Charlotte  Lenning  had 
kept  up  a  frequent  correspondence,  since  the 
departure  of  the  former  for  Europe,  and  it  had 
been  a  mutual  source  of  pleasure.  The  cur 
rent  of  their  lives,  however,  ran  in  very  differ 
ent  channels. 

Anna  had < been  hurried  by  her  restless  fa 
ther  from  place  to  place,  for  several  months, 
until  at  length  he  settled  himself  in  Paris 
with  her,  seeking  in  the  giddy  whirl  of  that 
gay  city  for  the  excitement  which  should 
induce,  not  happiness,  but  forgetfulness  of  the 
past.  Anna's  beauty  and  accomplishments 
had  won  many  admirers,  but  not  one  true 
friend. 

Lottie's  days  were  calm  and  rational.  She 
Badly  missed  her  brother,  whose  sympathy 


260  GET   MONEY. 

and  cheerful  companionship  she  had  dearly 
loved,  yet  she  had  become  submissive,  and 
her  soul  was  filled  with  that  peace  which 
passeth  all  understanding. 

The  clouds  that  flush  the  morning  sky, 
The  wind  that  woos  the  branches  high, 
The  leaves  that  whisper  in  reply  ; 

The  heart  of  every  living  thing, 

The  flowers  that  gem  the  breast  of  spring, 

The  russet  birds  that  soar  and  sing ; 

The  summer's  sigh,  the  winter's  roar, 
The  beat  of-billows  on  the  shore, 
Making  deep  music  evermore; 

all  these  were  "fountains  of  ecstasy"  to  her 
gifted  mind,  and  ministered  to  her  loving 
heart. 

The  very  day  after  the  reception  of  the 
letter  from  Lewis,  Mrs.  Lenning  received  the 
following  letter  from  Anna  Ferguson.  As  her 
last  letter  was  written  at  Paris,  the  surprise 
was  great  on  perceiving  that  it  was  from  Ger 
many. 

LETTER. 

Baden  JBaden, 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND,— I  have  hardly  strength  to  hold  my 

pen,  yet  I  must  nerve  myself  to  the  effort.     My  poor  father 

is  no  more. 

You  have  heard  of  this  horrid  place  as  the  resort  of  gam- 


THE  GAMBLER'S  DEATH-BED.  261 

biers  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  My  father  came  here 
with  me  two  months  since.  He  had  become  very  melan 
choly,  and  rushed  into  any  excitement  for  forgetfulness. 
He  tried  the  gaming  table  at  first  for  amusement,  but  soon 
gambling  grew  to  an  all-absorbing  passion.  He  met  with 
great  losses,  and  became  desperate.  Last  Wednesday  night 
he  was  more  than  usually  unsuccessful  at  the  faro  table. 
A  dispute  arose  between  him  and  one  of  those  shocking, 
professed  gamblers.  A  challenge  followed.  They  met, 
and  my  father  was  brought  to  our  rooms  mortally  wounded. 
Oh,  my  dear  Mrs.  Lenning,  he  was  shot  through  the  side, 
and  survived  only  one  day.  He  had  his  reason  clearly,  and 
made  his  will.  He  told  me  he  had  only  money  enough  left 
with  his  banker  to  take  me  home.  I  must,  he  said,  go 
directly  to  you,  and  tell  you  the  Haunted  House  was  yours 
if  you  would  take  charge  of  his  poor  orphan  daughter. 

An  English  lawyer  wrote  his  will  and  had  it  properly 
witnessed.  As  soon  as  it  was  finished,  my  poor  father  was 
not  able  to  say  another  word.  Oh,  my  dear,  dear  Mrs. 
Lenning,  such  a  look  as  he  gave  me — so  hopeless,  so  des 
pairing — when  he  could  no  longer  speak.  I  shall  never 
forget  that  last  look.  And  will  you  take  to  your  heart  your 
poor  orphan  friend  ?  Oh,  how  I  long  to  be  with  you  and 
my  dear  Lottie ! 

I  shall  return  very  soon  to  the  United  States;  alas!  I 
have  no  longer  a  home  of  my  own  there,  for  where  is  my 
poor  brother?  I  shall  return  (D.  Y.)  with  an  American 
family  who  have  been  kind  to  me  in  my  desolate  con 
dition. 

With  love  to  Lottie  and  yourself,  my  dear  Mrs.  Lenning, 
Your  friend,  and  pupil, 

ANNA  FERGUSON. 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

A  CHANGE    IN    CHARACTER. 

"  MOTHER,  dear,  you  can't  guess  who  preach 
ed  at  our  church  to-day !"  exclaimed  Lottie,  as 
she  hastily  entered  her  mother's  room. 

"  Then  I  shall  not  try ;  I  never  attempt  the 
impossible,"  replied  Mrs.  Lenning  to  Lottie, 
who  seemed  wonderfully  excited  by  the  topic 
which  she  thus  abruptly  broached. 

"It  was  Ernest  Sconeld,"  she  continued, 
with  assumed  calmness. 

"  Ernest  Sconeld  !  I  did  not  know  he  was 
a  clergyman." 

"  Yes,  he  is  now  the  Reverend  Ernest  Sco 
neld,  and  he  preached  an  eloquent  sermon, 
without  a  particle  of  the  pedantry  to  which  he 
was  formerly  addicted.  His  manner  was  na 
tural,  simple,  and  sincere,"  added  Lottie. 

"  I  am  exceedingly  glad  to  hear  it.  Good, 
faithful  Mr.  Sconeld  will  now  be  rewarded  for 


A   CHANGE   IN    CHABACTEE.  263 

years  of  self-denial  and  persevering  efforts  to 
educate  his  children.  With  his  small  salary, 
it  has  been  a  difficult  task.  He  knows  the 
trials  of  ministerial  life,  and  yet  prefers  to  see 
his  son  in  the  ministry,  to  having  him  ex 
posed  to  the  temptations  of  other  professions. 
Indeed,  it  has  been  his  first  wish  and  fervent 
prayer  for  many  years." 

"Young  Mr.  Scofield  is  already  settled  in 
one  of  the  towns  in  this  vicinity,"  remarked 
Lottie. 

"Indeed!     How  did  you  learn  that?" 

"  He  told  me  himself,  as  he  wralked  home 
with  me  from  church.  He  said  he  should 
come  and  see  you  this  evening,  and  I  invited 
him  to  tea.  Don't  you  think  it  would  be  bet 
ter  for  him  to  pass  the  evening  with  you, 
mother,  than  to  stay  at  the  hotel?"  eagerly 
inquired  Lottie. 

"  Certainly.  But  why  does  he  stay  at  the 
hotel?" 

"Because  our  pastor  is  absent  with  his 
family." 

"  But  why  have  we  lost  sight  of  the  Sco- 
fields  for  so  long  a  time  ?"  asked  Mrs.  Len- 
ning. 

"  Mr.  Ernest  Scofield  has  been  studying  for 
his  profession  at  a  distant  seminary ;  his  father 


264:  GET    MONEY. 

has  removed  to  the  West ;  and  Idelette  is  soon 
to  be  married  to  a  young  physician  of  Illi 
nois." 

"  Married !  Idelette  to  be  married !  What 
a  surprise  that  will  be  to  some  one  who  is 
dear  to  us." 

"  I  don't  understand  you,  mother." 

"  Never  mind.  You  had  better  go-  and 
take  off  your  bonnet,  and  then  give  Betsey 
orders  for  tea.  I  am  sorry  this  old  enemy, 
rheumatism,  prevented  me  from  going  to 
church  to-day." 

At  tea-time  the  reverend  gentleman  made 
his  appearance. 

At  a  glance,  Mrs.  Lenning  saw  that  Ernest 
Scofield  had  entirely  laid  aside  the  affectation 
which  distinguished  him  as  a  Sophomore,  and 
was  now  as  dignified  and  simple  in  manner 
as  he  was  truthful  in  character.  His  slender, 
but  well-formed  person,  had  contracted  a 
slight  stoop,  from  close  application  to  stduy, 
and  a  too  sedentary  life.  His  countenance 
had  not  the  slightest  llur  of  sanctimonious 
ness,  nor  his  language  the'  slightest  tinge  of 
cant.  Looks  and  words  with  him  did  not 
"  conceal  thought ;"  they  were  a  faithful  index 
to  the  soul  of  the  man. 

He  was  cheerful,  arid  even  playful,  for  he 


A   CHANGE   IN   CHARACTER.  265 

possessed  that  humor  which  is  "  the  bloom 
and  effluence  of  a  noble  nature."  Although 
a  practical,  hard-working  Christian,  he  did 
not  think  it  necessary  to  suppress  this  good 
gift.  Indeed,  it  was  a  rose-bud,  watered  by 
the  dews  of  divine  grace,  shedding  fragrance 
over  many  a  daily  toilsome  task,  and  many  a 
daily  sacrifice. 

The  Reverend  Ernest  Scofield  left  Mrs.  Len- 
ning's  at  a  reasonably  late  hour  on  Sunday 
evening.  Lottie  ingenuously  remarked  to  her 
mother,  "This  has  been  the  most  delightful 
and  improving  evening  that  I  ever  spent  in 
my  life." 

From  this  time  the  visits  of  Ernest  Scofield 
were  frequently  repeated,  and  they  did  not 
grow  less  interesting  to  Lottie  by  repetition. 


23 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

CALCUTTA. 

MBS.  LENNING  wrote  to  Lewis  by  the  first 
vessel  which  sailed  for  Calcutta,  after  his 
own  departure.  That  was  before  the  return 
of  his  father.  In  answer  to  her  cheerful  epis 
tle,  he  wrote  as  follows : 

Calcutta, . 

Your  letter  and  Lottie's,  were  received  last  evening,  my 
dear  mother,  and  proved  the  most  healing  cordial  to  my 
sad  heart !  You  were  for  a  long  time  spared  from  the 
knowledge  of  my  distress.  I  am  thankful  for  that,  and  for 
many  other  mercies.  "Was  it  not  a  beautiful  thought  in 
Tom  to  save  the  strong  box?  I  was  thus  able  to  settle  all 
Mr.  Gramper's  affairs,  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  his  credit 
ors.  Besides  the  specie  in  the  box,  I  had  bills  of  exchange 
in  my  trunk.  My  employer  lost  nothing,  but  I  lost  all, 
excepting  the  small  sum  of  money  in  my  purse,  not  quite 
twenty  dollars.  When  I  had  attended  to  Mr.  Gramper's 
business,  I  began  to  think  of  looking  out  for  myself. 

Tom  lost  everything  but  the  clothing  he  had  on,  and  the 
two  articles  he  had  wrapped  about  the  box.  So  fearful  of 
discovery  and  detention  had  he  been,  that  he  only  snatched 


CALCUTTA.  267 

those  articles  from  his  chest.  Of  course  I  had  to  provide 
him  with  a  suitable  outfit  for  this  climate,  and  for  a  gentle 
man's  servant !  for  Tom  was  enacting  the  valet  de  chambre 
for  the  nonce,  while  I  was  enacting  "The  Poor  Gentleman." 

I  delivered  my  letters  of  introduction  on  my  arrival,  and 
was  received  with  extreme  politeness,  invited  to  dine,  to 
drive,  and  I  am  sorry  to  say,  to  drink  ;  the  last  of  which  I 
of  course  declined.  The  merchants  here  live  luxuriously — 
their  motto  seems  to  be  "  a  short  life  and  a  merry  one." 
Many  fall  victims  very  early  to  the  climate  and  high  living. 

Calcutta  is  a  very  remarkable  city,  striking  in  appearance, 
and  of  much  interest  on  account  of  the  strange  mingling  of 
Christianity,  Paganism,  and  Mohammedanism — European 
civilization  and  Asiatic  degradation. 

Some  of  the  public  edifices  are  magnificent;  built  in 
various  styles,  borrowed  from  Greek,  Roman,  and  Gothic 
architecture,  strangely  contrasting  with  the  native  structures. 

It  appeared  like  the  wildest  dream  of  my  boyhood,  when 
I  actually  saw  Brahmins,  and  the  dark  natives  of  other 
castes,  Indian  temples,  palm  trees,  and  the  famous  banyan. 
I  am  constantly  reminded  of  Mrs.  Sherwood's  stories,  which 
you  may  remember  my  devouring  in  childhood  with  exqui 
site  relish.  The  "bearers';  in  the  streets,  holding  immense 
umbrellas  over  the  heads  of  their  little  masters,  bring  back 
to  me  vividly  "Little  Henry,"  and  each  black  nurse  is  the 
very  image  of  "Lucy's  Dhaye."  It  is  amusing  to  see  these 
umbrella-bearers  sheltering  three  or  four  small  boys  at  the 
same  time,  with  an  immense  parasol  made  of  palm-leaves. 
The  sun's  rays  here  are  so  personal  in  their  applications,  it 
is  dangerous  to  expose  one's  self  without  shelter.  Every 
body  in  this  respect  is  like  Paul  Pry,  excepting  they  never 
carry  the  umbrella  under  the  arm. 

It  is  amusing  to  see  the  variety  of  vehicles,  from  the  splen 
did  English  coach  and  four,  down  to  the  palanquin  and  the 
funny  little  cart  drawn  by  the  most  diminutive  of  horses. 


'268  GET  MONET. 

By  the  recommendation  of  Mr.  Meade,  the  English  mer 
chant,  to  whom  I  handed  Mr.  Lawton's  kind  letter,  I  took 
lodgings  at  the  London  Hotel— very  expensive  lodgings — 
and  how  was  I  to  pay  for  them?  I  have  your  habitual  hor 
ror  of  being  in  debt,  and,  dear  mother,  this  was  the  first 
time  I  ever  found  myself  in  that  detestable  predicament. 
I  felt  as  though  I  couldn't  look  an  honest  man  in  the  face. 

Tom  soon  found  work  for  himself,  and  the  noble  fellow 
brought  me  every  day  his  earnings,  which,  of  course,  I  put 
by  for  him. 

It  was  quite  annoying  to  be  treated  by  men  of  wealth 
and  high  standing,  like  a  gentleman  of  elegant  leisure.  It 
was,  as  Tom  would  say,  "sailing  under  false  colors." 

In  Calcutta  the  private  mansions  of  the  wealthy  are 
truly  palatial — far  more  magnificent  than  any  in  Beacon 
street. 

Mr.  Meade's,  where  I  have  dined  several  times,  is  a  superb 
structure.  It  stands  in  the  midst  of  a  garden  of  the  "most 
luxuriant  beauty  ;  with  trees  which  a  Druid  would  worship, 
and  flowers  which  would  set  dear  Lottie  poetizing,  in  spite 
of  herself. 

The  house  is  only  two  stories,  with  a  wide  verandah 
around  it,  but  very  spacious,  and  the  apartments  are  too 
lofty  for  one  to  care  to  stretch  the  neck  to  know  whether 
they  have  a  gilded  or  frescoed  ceiling.  The  furniture, 
though  tasteful,  is  of  the  lightest  kind,  and  the  spacious 
apartments  are  not  crowded,  a  free  circulation  of  air  being 
essential  in  this  hot,  enervating  climate.  John  Bull  here 
becomes  a  complete  Sybarite. 

So,  dear  mother,  after  your  penniless  wanderer  had 
played  the  gentleman,  willy  nilly,  for  more  than  a  fortnight, 
he  started  one  morning,  with  a  big  umbrella  over  his  head, 
fresh  in  appearance,  so  fresh  as  to  be  at  once  recognized 
as  a  new  comer,  the  complexion  of  the  residents  being  not 
unlike  some  of  Lottie's  marigolds.  So  here  I  was,  to  begin 


CALCUTTA.  269 

again !    to  start  fresh.      Ho\v  vividly  it  brought  to   mind 
my  first  Boston  search  after  "  a  situation!" 

Here  I  was,  alone  in  the  world — again  thrown  on  my  own 
resources,  thousands  of  miles  from  home.  Home!  that 
word  was  the  charm  which  nerved  me — "screwed  my  cour 
age  to  the  sticking  point " — mother  and  Lottie,  my  war. 
cry. 

The  report  that  I  had  saved  the  money  committed  to  my 
charge  by  Mr.  Gramper,  and  paid  all  his  debts,  in  spite  of 
mutiny,  shipwreck,  and  landsharks — spread  among  the  mer 
chants.  Is  it  so  astonishing  to  find  an  honest  man,  without 
the  help  of  Diogenes's  lantern  ? 

My  very  first  application  was  successful,  and  here  I  am, 
installed  in  the  counting-house  of  Meade  &  Brothers,  one 
of  the  best  houses  in  Calcutta.  Dear  mother,  I  owe  iny 
highest  recommendation  to  you :  yes,  you,  my  beloved 
mother,  who  taught  me  to  "  fear  God,  and  keep  his  Com 
mandments."  For  your  sake,  and  in  answer  to  your  prayers, 
a  kind  Providence  watches  over  your  absent  son.  I  have 
engaged  to  remain  only  one  year  with  Mr.  Meade,  and  then 
I  hope  to  return  home,  never,  never  again  to  leave  my 
native  land. 

Please,  present  my  grateful  acknowledgments  to  Mr. 
Lawton.  Say  to  my  darling  Lottie,  I  shall  write  to  her  by 
the  very  next  opportunity.  My  own  blessed  mother,  love, 
and  pray  for  your  only  son — 

LEWIS. 


13* 


CHAPTER   XXXIII. 


ONE  pleasant  day  in  early  spring,  a  car 
riage  drove  up  to  Mrs.  Lenning's  door,  loaded 
with  luggage. 

A  young  lady  in  deep  mourning  stepped 
out.  It  was  Anna  Ferguson,  alone. 

"No  welcome  could  be  warmer  than  the  one 
she  received  from  Mrs.  Lenning  and  Lottie. 
In  a  few  days  she  was  comfortably  settled,  in 
the  room  formerly  occupied  by  Lewis.  Mrs. 
Lenning  had  fitted  it  up  at  Anna's  request, 
with  the  furniture  which  had  been  in  her  own 
room  at  her  former  home.  This  was  all  she 
retained  from  that  now  deserted  mansion. 

Anna's  first  night  at  the  Haunted  House 
was  sleepless.  She  could  not  entirely  over 
come  the  superstition  which  had  been  so 
deeply  rooted  in  early  life.  Although  she  had 
passed  so  many  days  under  that  roof,  she 


270 


A  FRIEND'S  RETURN. 


never  before  had  been  there  in  the  darkness 
and  silence  of  night.  Moreover,  her  father 
had  related  to  her  a  remarkable  dream  of  his 
own,  that  now  oame  vividly  before  her  troubled 
mind.  Mr.  Ferguson,  as  it  frequently  hap 
pens  with  persons  who  are  not  religious,  was 
superstitious.  Not  long  before  his  death,  he 
related  to  Anna  his  singular  dream.  He  said, 
the  night  after  the  discovery  of  the  miser's 
money,  after  he  had  counted  it  over  a  second 
time,  and  found  it  all  there,  according  to  the 
memorandum,  he  placed  the  gold  and  silver 
in  his  safe,  took  out  the  key,  and  slept  with  it 
under  his  pillow.  He  could  not  have  been 
long  asleep  before  he  dreamed  old  Nollins 
himself  stood  by  the  bedside,  and  looking  at 
him  with  a  horrible  countenance,  said  :  "Don't 
touch  a  fourpence  of  the  money  Lewis  Len- 
ning  found  in  Stove  Bank  !  It  is  the  lad's  ; 
every  dollar  of  it.  Didn't  the  will  say  fifty 
thousand  dollars  and  the  house  I  lived  in, 
should  be  yours  ?  Pretty  good  pay  for  a  few 
strawberries!  Be  content  with  that,  for  the 
rest  of  the  money,  as  my  will  says,  goes  to  the 
finder.  Look  out  now,  or  you'll  come  to  the 
same  place  of  torment  where  I  am."  Mr.  Fergu 
son  said  he  awoke  with  a  cold  perspiration  on  his 
forehead,  and  trembling  in  every  limb.  It  was 


272  GET    MONEY. 

some  time  before  lie  could  sleep  again ;  when 
he  did,  the  same  fearful  dream  was  repeated. 
"  When  I  awoke,"  said  Mr.  Ferguson,  "  I 
made  a  solemn  vow  that  I  would  never  touch 
that  gold  and  silver  in  mj  safe,  if  I  found  my 
fifty  thousand.  I  have  kept  that  vow — the 
money  belongs  to  Lewis  Lenning.  I  gave  the 
Lennings  the  rent  of  the  house  too,  because  I 
was  afraid  I  might  be  haunted  by  that  dread 
ful  dream.  I  wouldn't  suffer  again  as  I 
did  that  awful  night,  for  all  the  miser's 
money." 

It  was  perfectly  natural,  after  the  exciting 
day  Mr.  Ferguson  had  passed,  that  his  dreams 
should  be  disturbed  and  reflect  what  had 
been  lately  in  his  mind,  but  his  superstitious 
feelings  led  him  to  consider  them  supernatural. 

True  to  his  wily  character,  to  the  last,  Mr. 
Ferguson,  in  his  will,  left  "  the  money  in  his 
safe"  (where,  by  the  way,  it  had  remained 
ever  since  it  was  first  deposited),  to  Lewis 
Lenning,  without  the  slightest  mention  that 
he  was  the  rightful  owner..  The  Haunted 
House  he  left  to  Mrs.  Lenning,  on  the  condi 
tion  that  Anna  should  have  her  home  there,  as 
long  as  she  pleased. 

And  now,  in  this  new  home,  Anna's  restless 
night  might  have  been  anticipated. 


273 


The  next  morning,  Mrs.  Lenning  had  the 
painful  task  of  communicating  to  Anna  the 
loss  of  her  brother.  It  was  done  as  gently 
and  tenderly  as  possible,  and  with  the  allevi 
ating  sympathy  of  the  kindest  of  motherly 
hearts. 

The  quiet,  peaceful  life  at  the  Lennings  was 
only  relieved  by  the  frequent  visits  of  Ernest 
Scofield,  and  the  occasional  letters  of  Lewis. 
His  last  letter  was  to  Lottie,  and  a  very  sad 
one  it  was,  for  he  had  just  heard  of  the  death 
of  his  father,  and  lamented  bitterly  his  absence 
at  the  time  of  that  melancholy  event. 

The  will  of  Mr.  Ferguson  was  placed  im 
mediately  in  the  hands  of  a  lawyer,  and  went 
through  the  necessary  forms.  After  Mr.  Fer 
guson's  debts  were  paid,  and  the  beautiful 
"Rosebank  sold,  only  a  few  thousands  remained 
for  Anna.  But  her  wishes  had  become  moder 
ate,  and  her  mode  of  life  such  as  required  no 
great  expenditure.  From  the  time  of  her  ar 
rival,  she  had  not  even  opened  the  trunks 
which  contained  a  splendid  wardrobe,  includ 
ing  the  dresses  in  which  she  had  appeared  at 
half  the  courts  in  Europe. 

Her  agitated  mind  required  perfect  rest, 
and  her  affections  worthy  objects  to  fix  upon. 
These  she  found  in  her  present  situation. 


274  GET   MONEY. 

Soon  her  elastic  mind  resumed  its  usual  free 
dom,  and  her  disposition  every  day  became 
more  amiable  and  affectionate. 

When  Ernest  Scofield  requested  that  the 
consummation  of  his  engagement  to  Lottie 
might  not  be  delayed,  Mrs.  Lenning  the  more 
readily  consented,  because  Anna  was  to  re 
main  with  her.  Yet,  it  was  a  severe  trial  to 
both  the  mother  and  sister,  to  have  their  be 
loved  Lewis  absent  on  this  occasion. 

•5f  *  #          •       *  -X-  -X- 

Idelette  Scofield  arrived  with  her  brother 
at  Mrs.  Lenning's.  It  was  her  wish  to  be  mar 
ried  by  her  father,  and  to  have,  on  that  occa 
sion,  a  double  wedding.  So  Idelette  passed  a 
few  days  with  her  friends,  before  the  mar 
riage.  The  physician  from  Illinois  had  stolen 
a  march  on  the  absent  supercargo.  Poor 
Lewis!  One  object  of  that  long  voyage,  per 
haps  the  leading  one,  was,  that  he  might  be 
in  a  situation  to  offer  himself  to  Idelette  Sco 
field,  on  his  return. 

"The  best  laid  schemes  of  mice  and  men 
Aft  gang  aglae." 

So  said  the  poet  Burns.  Polly  quite  astonished 
Idelette,  by  saying,  to  the  same  effect,  "  You've 
spoiled  the  best  plan,  of  the  very  best  man, 


A  FRIEND'S  RETURN.  275 

excepting  my  sailor,  by  marrying  this  fel 
low." 

"  What  is  it,  Polly,  that  you  are  grumbling 
about  ?"  said  Idelette,  as  she  was  before  the 
glass,  arranging  her  wedding  bonnet,  with  its 
huge  wreath  of  orange  buds  and  flowers,  a 
few  hours  before  the  marriage. 

"I  say,  what  I  shouldn't  say,  about  him 
that's  far  away,  which  you  ought  to  have  mar 
ried  to-day,"  remarked  Polly,  smoothing  down 
her  grey  silk  dress,  which  had  not  been  shaken 
out  of  its  folds,  until  this  time,  since  Polly's 
own  marriage. 

"Polly,  you  are  quite  enigmatical,"  said 
Idelette. 

"Well,  I  am,"  retorted  Polly,  "  if  that  means 
that  I  can  see  farther  into  a  mill-stone  than 
some  other  folks.  On  the  whole,  Miss  Idy,  I 
think  it's  as  well  that  you  went  to  Illinois ; 
it's  better  for  you  to  roll  the  doctor's  pills,  and 
help  to  cure  his  patients'  ills,  than  to  live  in 
the  city,  where  there  would  have  been  no  end 
to  the  top-knots  and  furbelows,  flounces  and 
bonnet-bows,  that  would  have  had  to  come 
out  of  somebody 's  green  silk  purse"  • 

Idelette  was  too  much  occupied  with  her 
wedding  toilet,  to  pay  much  attention  to  what 


2<6  GET    MONEY. 

she  chose  to  consider  Polly's  unmeaning  non 
sense. 

The  Kev.  John  Scofield,  D.D.,  performed 
the  marriage  ceremony,  by  which  his  son  be 
came  the  husband  of  Charlotte  Lenning,  and 
his  daughter  the  wife  of  Dr.  Arran. 

There  was  a  crowd  of  witnesses  to  the  mar 
riage,  for  it  was  celebrated  in  the  church  of 
the  Rev.  Ernest  Scofield,  who  had  already 
become  a  much-loved  pastor  to  a  numerous 
congregation. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

PARTNERSHIP. 

IT  was  one  of  the  most  enchanting  days  of 
that  enchanting  season  which,  for  no  conceiv 
able  reason,  is  called  Indian  Summer. 

Anna  sat  by  an  open  window,  one  after 
noon,  reading  aloud  to  Mrs.  Lenning.  A 
dark-haired  stranger,  with  a  superfluous  quan 
tity  of  whiskers  and  beard,  opened  the  gate 
and  stepped  hastily  up  the  yard,  rushed  into 
the  house,  snatched  up  small  Mrs.  Lenning, 
and  kissed  her  again  and  again ;  then  putting 
her  down,  was  about  to  throw  his  arms  around 
Lottie,  when  he  was  arrested  by  the  grave 
countenance  of  an  apparent  stranger. 

Mrs.  Lenuing  had  sunk  back  in  her  chair, 
and  covering  her  face,  could  only  exclaim, 
"  Lewis,  my  son  1  thank  God  !  thank  God  I" 

The  first  words  spoken  by  Lewis  were, 
"Where's  Lottie?" 

24  2" 


278  GET   MONEY. 

"  Gone  to  her  own  home,"  said  Mrs.  Len- 
ning. 

Lewis,  startled  and  alarmed,  cried,  "What 
home,  mother  ?" 

"  Ernest  Scofield's  and  her  own.  Then  you 
have  not  received  our  last  letters,  and,  of 
course,  did  not  know  of  Lottie's  marriage." 

"  No,  indeed  !     You  astonish  me." 

"And  this  is  Miss  Ferguson,  who  lias  now 
her  home  with  me." 

"Miss  Ferguson!  Anna  Ferguson!"  ex 
claimed  Louis,  without  advancing  another 
step  towards  the  lovely  girl,  who  still  sat, 
book  in  hand,  by  the  window. 

Lewis  seated  himself  by  his  mother,  and 
taking  one  of  her  hands,  said,  "  So  then  you 
had  to  spare  our  dear  Lottie.  It  was  rather 
cruel  in  Ernest  to  take  her  away  during  my 
absence." 

"  So  it  seemed ;  but  as  Idelette's  marriage 
was  to  take  place,  and  she  wished  her  brother's 
to  be  at  the  same  time  as  her  own,  I  consented 
to  it,  though  grieved  not  to  have  you  with 
us." 

"  Idelette's  marriage  !"  gasped  out  Lewis. 

Anna  Ferguson  rose  and  left  the  room. 

A  long,  confidential  conversation  follow 
ed,  which  lasted  till  the  shades  of  eve- 


PARTNERSHIP.  279 

ning  were   falling  on   the   many-hued  land 
scape. 

•x-  *  #-  ••'.$          *          * 

Lewis  Lenning  called  on  Mr.  Lawton,  not 
only  to  see  him,  but  to  hand  him  a  letter  from 
Meade  &  Brothers. 

"  Well,  Lewis,  you  are  satisfied  with  the 
opportunity  you  have  had  for  seeing  the 
world.  Do  you  think  you  could  he  contented 
to  remain  quietly  at  home  after  this?"  was 
Mr.  Lawton's  calm  inquiry. 

"  Perfectly  so.  I  never  wish  to  roam  far 
ther  from  Boston,  than  the  Man  of  Koss  did 
from  his  home,"  said  Lewis,  shaking  his  head, 
with  a  grave,  subdued  expression  of  counte 
nance. 

"  And  the  experience  of  life  you  have  had — 
was  it  worth  the  trouble?"  asked  Mr.  Lawton. 

"No,  sir  ;  it  was  dear-bought  experience.  I 
have  lost  everything,  and  must  begin  again." 

"  No,  Lewis,  you  have  not  lost  everything ; 
on  the  contrary,  you  retain  what  is  more 
valuable  than  much  fine  gold — your  charac 
ter,  moral  courage,  industry,  and  stainless 
integrity.  Mr.  Meade  tells  me  you  have 
given  him  entire  satisfaction,  and  he  would 
gladly  have  retained  you  in  Calcutta,  had  the 
climate  not  proved  so  injurious  to  your  health, 


280  GET   MONEY. 

It  seems  you  lost  several  months'  time,  when 
ill  with  fever." 

"  I  did,  sir ;  and  never  expected  to  recover 
from  that  illness." 

"  What  are  you  now  intending  to  do  with 
yourself?"  abruptly  inquired  Mr.  Lawton. 

"I  wish  to  ask  for  your  advice.  I  am  en 
tirely  at  a  loss.  The  late  Mr.  Ferguson  left 
me,  by  will,  the  money,  in  coin,  which  I  found 
in  the  stove,  at  the  Haunted  House.  I  have 
some  scruples  about  taking  it,  as  the  property 
which  Miss  Ferguson  inherits  is  the  mere 
wreck  of  a  large  fortune." 

"  The  money  is  yours  ;  take  it  without  scru 
ple.  By  the  way,  there's  a  young  gentleman 
in  the  counting-room  who  would  like  to  see 
yon."  Mr.  Lawton  rose,  opened  the  door  of 
the  counting-room,  and  called,  "Dick,  come 
here." 

A  tall,  spruce,  well-dressed  young  man 
came  forward,  and  in  a  moment  Lewis  recog 
nized  Richard  Moland,  who  grasped  his  hand, 
exclaiming,  "  Lenning !  can  it  be  ?  You  are 
the  best  friend  I  ever  had  in  the  world,  but 
my  uncle.  I  shall  have  a  long  story  to  tell 
you  one  of  these  days." 

"  You  shall  have  a  chance,  Dick.  Go  back, 
now,  to  your  desk,"  said  Mr.  Lawton. 


PAR  TNERSHIP.  281 

"You  see,"  continued  he,  "I  have  taken 
Dick  into  my  counting-room.  That  whaling 
voyage  was  a  capital  thing  for  him.  He  is 
now  as  steady  a  clerk  as  you  will  find  in  Bos 
ton.  Rather  too  fond  of  dress ;  still,  that's  in 
the  grain  ;  but  yet  he  is  a  faithful,  serviceable 
clerk.  I  have  a  plan  to  propose  to  you.  I 
am  getting  old,  and  wish  to  retire  somewhat 
from  active  business.  I  am  thinking  of  tak 
ing  a  junior  partner.  Let  me  see:  how 
would  you  like  the  firm  of  Lawton  &  Len- 
ning?" 

"  That  would  be  too  great  an  honor  for  me," 
modestly  replied  Lewis. 

"Not  at  all.  I  should  like  it,  if  you  have 
no  objections.  Lawton  &  Lenning !  It  runs 
smoothly.  I  like  it  better  than  Lawton  & 
Co.  It  would  make  your  name  known  as  a 
partner  in  the  house.  I  trust  I  can  arrange 
the  terms  to  your  satisfaction.  If  you  think, 
however,  you  can  make  more  advantageous 
arrangements  for  yourself,  you  are  perfectly 
at  liberty  to  do  so." 

"  I  am  too  grateful  for  words,  Mr.  Lawton. 
I  should  have  been  happy  to  go  back  into 
your  counting-room  again  as  clerk.  I  have 
no  longer  any  rabid  desire  for  wealth.  A 
moderate  competence  would  satisfy  me,  and 
24* 


282  GET   MONEY. 

to  any  terms  you  propose  I  shall  most  gladly 
accede." 

"  Well,  I  have  drawn  up  the  proposal  in 
manner  and  form ;  take  it  home,  and  consult 
your  good  mother.  A  young  man  should 
never  be  ashamed  to  take  the  advice  of  a  sen 
sible,  judicious  woman." 

"  If  I  had  only  followed  my  mother's  advice, 
I  should  not  have  suffered  the  disappoint 
ments  and  troubles  which  have  darkened  two 
of  the  most  important  years  of  my  life,"  said 
Lewis,  sadly. 

"  Well,  my  young  friend,  do  not  waste  the 
strength  you  need  for  present  duty  in  remorse 
for  the  past.  Your  errors  were  mostly  errors 
of  judgment.  You  were,  besides,  a  little  im 
patient  of  control,  and  in  too  great  haste  to  be 
rich.  Be  thankful  that  you  were  not  hurried 
into  crimes  which  would  have  led  to  your 
utter  ruin ;  crimes  which  have  brought  some 
whom  we  have  known,  to  a  fearful  end,  to 
wretchedness  in  this  life,  and  a  terrible  look 
ing  for  of  judgment  in  the  world  to  come.  £  By 
others'  faults  wise  men  correct  their  own,'  is 
an  old  adage.  We  may  do  the  same  by  our 
own  faults  of  yesterday  ;  or,  as  some  poet  has 
said, 


PARTNERSHIP.  283 

'  So  let  us  live, 

That  from  the  Past  we  may  receive 
Light  for  the  Nowi*  " 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Lawton ;  I  think  I  shall 
keep  the  rod  in  terrorem  with  which  I  have 
lately  been  beaten,  as  my  good  mother  used 
to  keep  the  birch  rod  hung  up  in  the  nursery. 
I  trust  I  shall  thus  avoid  the  faults  for  which 
I  have  lately  been  flogged  by  that  stern  mas 
ter,  Experience,"  replied  Lewis. 

The  proposals  made  by  Mr.  Lawton  were 
perfectly  satisfactory  to  Mrs.  Lenning  and 
Lewis.  The  new  co-partnership  of  Lawton 
&  Lenning  was  soon  announced  in  the  pa 
pers. 

Lewis  asked,  as  a  special  favor,  that  the 
faithful  Tom  Brown,  who  had  returned  from 
Calcutta  with  him,  might  be  employed  as  a 
porter  in  the  warehouse  of  Lawton  &  Len 
ning.  This  request  was  readily  granted,  and 
Tom,  who  had  been  hard-working  and  thrifty 
in  Calcutta,  was  able  to  provide  a  comfortable 
home  for  Polly  and  himself. 

In  time,  Lewis  made  such  additions  to  the 
Haunted  House  as  to  render  it  a  convenient 
and  pleasant  habitation. 

Some  romantic  misses  may  scout  at  a  second 
attachment.  Nevertheless,  our  friend  Lewis 


284:  GET    MONEY. 

Lenning,  who  had  had  a  decided  "  fancy  "  for 
Idelette  Scofield,  did  gradually  slide  into  a 
strong  rational  attachment  for  Anna  Fergu 
son  ;  and,  moreover,  it  met  with  the  entire 
approbation  of  his  respected  mother  and — his 
future  bride. 

"Now  joy  to  him,  who  o'er  his  task 

Remembers  toil  is  nature's  plan  ; 
Who,  working,  thinks — and  never  sinks 
His  independence  as  a  man. 

"  Who  only  asks  for  humblest  wealth, 
Enough  for  competence  and  health  ; 
And  leisure,  when  his  work  is  done, 

To  read  his  book  by  chimney  nook, 
Or  stroll  at  setting  of  the  sun  ; 

Or  toils,  as  every  man  should  toil, 
For  fair  reward,  erect  and  free : 

These  are  the  men — the  best  of  men — 
These  are  the  men  we  wean  to  be" 


THE    END. 


